On Tuesday afternoon, five gunmen attacked the Dusit D2 hotel and office complex on Riverside Drive in the Westlands area of Nairobi.

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What happened

Reuters reports that a ‘militant is seen in one clip waiting outside a restaurant before blowing himself up in a cloud of debris just after 3 p.m. (1200 GMT). Another explosion near the entrance gate, possibly a grenade, ignites three cars before four men stroll by firing assault rifles and split into two groups.‘

At least 21 people were killed, including an American businessman Jason Spindler and British aid worker Luke Potter. Two employees of Adam Smith International working on the Somalia Stability Fund were also among the dead. In total, sixteen Kenyans and three other Africans were killed. Over 700 people were rescued during the 20 hour security operation.

Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a response to ‘US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.’

Security teams extracting clients

Several multinational corporations – including Pernod Ricard, Dow Chemical, LG Electronics, and Colgate Palmolive – have offices in the area, as it is meant to be one of the most secure parts of the city. Reuters reports a private security guard as saying ‘about a dozen armed foreigners of various nationalities were also there… including embassy staff and private security advisers trying to rescue clients.’

The article also mentions that the police were communicating with guests at the hotel via text message, telling them that they were aware of their location and would rescue them soon.

A British special forces soldier was photographed helping with the evacuations. The Independent states that he is ‘part of a British training team based in Kenya and was at the scene mentoring Kenyan troops who had been deployed‘ to the incident.

Information and advice from Governments

Further news and information

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