World

Kenya attack: DusitD2 siege over as attackers killed

January 17, 2019 8:15 am

The attackers, two of which are shown here, were caught on CCTV as they entered the complex [Source: Reuters]

A deadly siege by suspected militants in Nairobi has ended after all the attackers were “eliminated”, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

Gunmen attacked a compound in the Westlands district of Kenya’s capital on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people.

Some 19 people are still missing, Kenya’s Red Cross has said.

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The Somalia-based Islamist militant group al-Shabab said it was behind the attack on the complex, which houses the luxury DusitD2 hotel.

Reuters news agency, citing a statement from the group, reports that al-Shabab said Tuesday’s attack was “a response” to US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

It is not clear how many attackers there were, but Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet told AFP news agency that “five terrorists” had been involved.

Two people believed to be linked to Tuesday’s siege were arrested following raids on properties on Wednesday, AFP reported.

Confirming an end to the security operation at Dusit during a televised address, Mr Kenyatta said that 14 people had been reported killed and many more were injured, but that 700 others were safely evacuated.

He added that “every person that was involved in the funding, planning and execution of this heinous act” would be “relentlessly” pursued