A DEADLY TERROR ATTACK IN KENYA’S CAPITAL
Civilians flee as Kenyan security forces aim their weapons toward attackers in Nairobi on Tuesday. Heavy gunfire followed explosions as extremists attacked a hotel and office complex in Kenya’s capital, sending people fleeing in panic. At least 15 people were killed, including a U.S. citizen. The Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Story, 14A
Extremists stormed a luxury hotel in Kenya’s capital on Tuesday, setting off thunderous explosions and gunning down people at cafe tables in an attack claimed by Africa’s deadliest Islamic militant group. A police officer said at least 15 people had died. “It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible,” said Charles Njenga, who ran from a scene of blood, broken glass, burning vehicles, and black smoke.
Al-Shabab — the Somaliabased group that carried out the 2013 attack that left 67 people dead at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi — claimed responsibility for the carnage at the DusitD2 hotel complex, which includes bars, restaurants, offices, and banks and is in a well-to-do area with many American, European, and Indian expatriates.
A Kenyan police officer said 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed, but did not release the victim’s identity. Al-Shabab asserted that 47 people were killed.
Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen. Late Tuesday night, about eight hours after the siege began, Interior Minister Fred Matiang’i said all of the buildings affected had been secured and that security forces were mopping up.
“I would like to reiterate that the situation is under control and the country is safe,” he said.
However, more gunfire was heard about an hour later, Kenyan broadcaster NTV reported. Some family members said they had been in touch with loved ones still hiding inside the complex.
Early Wednesday, Kenya’s interior ministry said a tweet that all buildings had been secured and there was no further threat to the public.
Authorities did not say how many attackers there were — or what happened to them — though Kenya’s Citizen TV aired securitycamera footage that showed at least four heavily armed men in dark-colored, paramilitary-style gear.
The coordinated assault began with an explosion outside a bank and a suicide bombing in the hotel lobby that severely wounded a number of guests, said Kenya’s national police chief, Joseph Boinnet.
Survivors reported hearing a shattering blast and saw people mowed down by gunmen as they sat in a cafe.
“We were changing our shifts, and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming,” said Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner at the cafe and managed to crawl out a basement gate. “I couldn’t believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex.”
Kenyan hospitals appealed for blood donations as the number of wounded re- mained unclear.
Al-Shabab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia to fight it since 2011. Tuesday’s violence came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.
The al-Qaida-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya. In the deadliest attack, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault that killed 147 people, mostly students, at Garissa University in 2015.
The latest carnage demonstrated al-Shabab’s continued ability to carry out large acts of bloodshed despite a big increase in U.S. airstrikes against it under President Donald Trump.