Gunmen set off thunderous explosives and shot people at cafe tables and desks – with the Islamic militant group al Shabaab claiming it was behind the attack.Police believe a suicide bomber blew himself up in the lobby before the other three began hurling grenades and shooting people as they fled or hid under tables.
Charles Njenga, a worker at the complex, said after fleeing: ‘What I have seen is terrible. I have seen a human as I ran out and there is what looks like minced meat all over.’
Special forces units were sent in to flush the gunmen out, and officials said the scene was secure at around 11pm local time (8pm GMT). But there were reports of further gunfire at 2am then again two hours later, when around 50 casualties trapped inside the building were still being evacuated. The fate of the three terrorists is unclear.
The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab claimed that it was behind the attack at the 14 Riverside Drive complex – which includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. They claimed to have killed 47 people but gave no evidence.
A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman said: ‘The situation is ongoing. We are in contact with the Kenyan authorities who are coordinating a response and stand ready to assist as required.’ The US State Department said: ‘We can confirm that a US citizen was killed in the attack.’
“I can now report that we have secured all the buildings that have been affected by these events,” Interior Minister Fred Matiang’i said in a statement broadcast on national television. “I can also now report that the country is now secure, that the nation remains calm and that Kenyans and all our visitors are safe and should feel free to continue going about their normal business.”
Mr. Matiang’i also said “we are now in the final stages of mopping up the area and securing evidence and documenting the consequences of this unfortunate event,” but said nothing about fatalities or injuries.
The assault by the Shabab, an Islamist extremist group with ties to Al Qaeda that has carried out many attacks in eastern Africa, came on the eve of a verdict in the trial of three men accused of helping the Shabab orchestrate a deadly assault on a the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi five years ago.