Kenya: Armed Assailants Could Still be Held Up in Hotel Complex, Says Police Chief

Police in Kenya has said that some armed assailants behind Tuesday’s terror attack are suspected to still be held up in the Dusit D2 hotel complex and an operation is ongoing to flash them out.

Kenya’s Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinnet said that security and emergency services responded quickly and cordoned off the area. He said that many people had been evacuated from the complex.

“We are aware there still could be armed criminals still held up in the building and our special forces are engaged in that operation to flash them out,” he said.

He said that armed assailants attacked the hotel at approximately 3am. The incident is being treated as a terror attack,” he said.

Also Read: Al-shabaab Claim Responsibility for Nairobi Terror Attack

The Police chief added that security is in the process of verifying the nature and types of injuries. He however did not disclose the number.

“We have been vigilant throughout the entire festive season. As part of the enhanced vigilance, all our critical national infrastructure and installations remain on guard,” Boinett said in the first security briefing since the terror incident.

He urged the public to stay calm and cooperate with the instructions given by security agencies.

“We are looking forward to bringing the situation to normalcy as soon as possible,” he added.

The attack on Tuesday happened at Dusit D2 Hotel along 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi. The building houses offices and hotels.

Islamic militant group Al Shabaab have claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We are currently conducting an operation in Nairobi,” Al Shabab spokesperson Sheikh Ali Dhere is quoted by Aljazeera English as having said.

A witness who was still trying to gather herself together from the shock said she saw armed men cocking their guns from behind her office. The armed men then started to hurl stones at the building before an explosive went off.

Dusit D2 hotel is just over a mile from the Westgate Shopping Centre, where al-Shabaab terrorists slaughtered 67 people in a four day siege in 2013.