UPDATE: Death toll from Nairobi attack rises to 21 and 50 unaccounted for
At least 15 people were killed in an attack on an upscale hotel and office complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon.
Somali militant group Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. The Al Qaeda-linked group claimed the attack via its radio arm, Andalus.
"We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on. We shall give details later," said Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabab's military operations spokesman.
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Multiple attackers, wearing green and wrapped in ammunition, stormed the DusitD2 complex in the neighbourhood of Westlands, sending office workers fleeing for their lives.
Kenya's national police chief said the co-ordinated attack on the hotel began with an explosion that targeted three vehicles outside a bank while a suicide bomber blew up in the hotel lobby.
According to a mortuary worker who spoke to Reuters, the dead included 11 Kenyans, an American and a Briton.
The bodies were identified based on identification documents on them when they arrived at Chiromo mortuary, said the attendant.
A Somali diplomat said Somalian officials were in a Nairobi hotel for meetings at the time it was attacked on Tuesday and several are feared to still be inside. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.
As night fell, gunfire continued more than two hours after the first shots were heard at the complex. Police later said they have secured most of the building.
A plume of smoke rose above the 14 Riverside Drive complex. Firefighters extinguished three cars ablaze by the entrance as armed security personnel headed in and other armed officers escorted shocked workers out, many with their hands up.
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People are evacuated by a member of security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters -
Kenyan armed forces rescue people after an attack on a hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya. Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the complex. A police officer said he saw bodies, "but there was no time to count the dead." AP Photo -
A civilian meets with friends and family after being evacuated from the scene where gunmen blasted their way into a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters -
People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
Cars are seen on fire at the scene. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
A window damaged by bullets has escaped shattering. Baz Ratner / Baz Ratner -
Members of the security forces in situ. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
A woman is evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
A member of the security forces gestures as people take cover. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
Security forces stand guard. Ben Curtis / AP Photo -
People are evacuated from the danger zone. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
An armed soldier takes cover next to a bullet-riddled window. Dai Kurokawa / EPA -
A member of the security forces keeps guard as people are evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
People stand next to a wall as events unfold. Raphael Ambasu / AFP -
A vehicle is seen as a member of the security forces keeps a look out. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters -
A Kenyan woman (R) is overwhelmed by emotions after receiving the news that her relative (not pictured) was rescued from a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after suspected militants stormed an upscale hotel and office complex killing several people. The attack has been claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiang'i said late 15 January that security forces have secured all the buildings without giving further details. According to media reports, at least 15 people have been killed, but no official number has been so far confirmed by the government. EPA -
A woman is rescued at the scene of an on going terrorist attack at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb. Fifteen people have died in the Islamist attack on an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenyan police sources said on January 16, as fresh explosions and gunfire rang out in the siege which stretched into its second day. AFP -
Kenyan police officers return from the scene inside a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after the attackers stormed the compound killing several people in an attack claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiangi said late 15 January that security foces have secured all the buildings without giving details. EPA
Police said they detonated a car with explosives inside. The blast sent people at the scene ducking and screaming.
A woman shot in the leg was carried out and three men emerged covered in blood. Some office workers climbed out of windows.
Several vehicles were seen burning and people were being rushed and carried from the scene.
"We are under attack," another person in an office inside a complex in the Dusit hotel told Reuters, before hanging up. Local television showed smoke rising from the area.
The complex includes the DusitD2 hotel, banks and offices.
Several social media users reported being trapped in the building and nearby offices as surrounded buildings were being evacuated.
A police team from the General Service Unit, the highly-trained paramilitary wing of the Kenyan police force, were dispatched to the affluent neighbourhood of Westlands in northern Nairobi after the gunshots were heard, according to local media reports.
Police initially said it could have been a robbery but later said they were not ruling out a militant attack.
"We have to go for the highest incident that could take place. The highest incident we have is a terror (attack)," spokesman Charles Owino told Citizen TV.
They then confirmed what it said was an "attack incident" on Twitter.
What appeared to be plainclothes security forces were seen inching their way toward the scene, guns in hand. Other people took cover behind fountains and other features in the lush outdoor complex.
Some of those who appeared to have been rescued from the complex tweeted their relief. "We have been rescued," said one Kenyan. "Thank you for your prayers."
The attack is similar to a reminder of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, when Al Shabab extremists burst into the luxury shopping center, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead.
Tuesday's attack came a day after a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial on charges they were involved in the Westgate Mall siege. A fourth suspect was freed for lack of evidence.
