Police in Kenya has said in its latest update on Tuesday’s terror attack in Nairobi that six out of the seven floors at the Dusit D2 hotel have already been secured.
The attack on Tuesday happened at around 3pm at Dusit D2 Hotel along 14 Riverside Drive in Nairobi. The building houses offices and hotels.
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.
In a statement, the second update from the Police, Kenya’s Inspector General of Police, Joseph Boinnet said the attack was conducted “in a coordinated fashion” beginning with an attack at I&M Bank. Outside the bank, an explosion destroyed 3 vehicles in the parking lot.
Another suicide explosion went off in the foyer of Dusit D2 Hotel where IGP Boinnet said “a number of guests suffered severe injuries”. He did not disclose how many people sustained injuries or if there were any deaths.
In an earlier briefing to the press, Boinnet had said that some armed assailants behind the attack were suspected to still be held up in the hotel complex and that an operation was ongoing to flash them out.
“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 security agencies responded in a swift and targeted manner and that many were evacuated.
“The situation has largely been contained. Six out of seven floors of the hotel have been secured. The operation continues to secure the whole complex,” Boinnet said.
“Our officers remain focused on our main priority and that is the search and rescue as well as neutralization of criminal elements… We have combined specialized units and additionally, we have a multi-agency backup that has been deployed to support the operation,” he added.
Some of the victims of the violent attack who were rescued have received counseling services to alleviate their trauma.
The Police chief however cautioned the public to desist from amplifying the fear instigated by the orchestrators of the terror attack and their sympathizers. He particularly discouraged the sharing on social of fake photos purportedly showing the impact of the attack.
He said that the photos were taken in the past and do not reflect the events as they occurred on Tuesday. To share them online would be to abet the aims of the enemy, Boinnet told Kenyans.
Meanwhile, Islamic militant group Al Shabaab have claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We are currently conducting an operation in Nairobi,” Al-Shabaab spokesperson Sheikh Ali Dhere is quoted by Aljazeera English as having said.