Al-Shabab terror attack target Upscale Nairobi hotel, one reported killed

An upscale hotel complex in Kenya’s capital came under attack by terrorists on Tuesday, with a blast and heavy gunfire, killing at least one and injuring four.

The five patients were brought to M. P. Shah Hospital and one of them died, said Toseef Din, the facility’s chief operating officer. The Red Cross said four hospitals had received casualties.

Al-Shabab — the Somalia-based extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead — claimed responsibility for the assault and said its members were still fighting inside.

The complex in Nairobi’s Westlands neighborhood includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. Several vehicles burned. People were being rushed, even carried, from the scene.

Gunfire continued several minutes after the first reports. Black smoke rose from the scene.

“We have sent officers to the scene, including from the anti-terrorism unit, but so far we have no more information,” police spokesman Charles Owino said.

Ambulances, security forces and firefighters rushed to the scene, sirens wailing. A large group of women were hurried out by security forces, one woman still in hair curlers. Other groups were hurried away as plainclothes officers went shop to shop in the complex.

What appeared to be plainclothes security forces inched their way toward the scene, guns in hand. Helicopters could be heard. Other people appeared to be taking cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex.

The attack immediately reminded many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack, when al-Shabab terrorists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead.

The attack came three years to the day after al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in neighboring Somalia, killing scores of people. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab objects to the presence of Kenyan troops in the turbulent Horn of Africa nation.

#BREAKING Minutes ago security forces entered the Dusit Hotel to search for the terrorists. Al Shabaab has claimed the attack in Westlands, one of the most rich neighbourhoods in #Nairobi, #Kenya . pic.twitter.com/9dnmKML52l

— Guido Mastrangelo (@GuidoGma) January 15, 2019