Nairobi Dusit hotel under attack as blasts and gunfire heard

A hotel complex is under attack in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

At least two blasts and gunfire were heard at the compound in the Westland district of the city, which houses the Dusit hotel as well as offices.

The Somali-based militant group al-Shabab claimed the attack but gave no details. Four armed men entered the complex, eyewitnesses say.

People are leaving the site escorted by heavily armed officers. One man was led out with a gunshot wound in the back.

The BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi says the head of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, George Kinoti, is leading the rescue operation.

Vehicles are on fire in the car park. Medics are at the scene.

A woman working in a neighbouring building told Reuters news agency: “I just started hearing gunshots, and then started seeing people running away raising their hands up and some were entering the bank to hide for their lives.”

Kenya has seen a number of terror attacks in recent years – most notably in areas close to the Somali border and in the country’s capital.

Image copyrightREUTERS

In September 2013, al-Shabab militants entered the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi and targeted shoppers using guns.

During an 80-hour siege at the upscale centre, 67 people were killed.

Two years later, the group carried out its deadliest ever assault in Kenya, shooting dead almost 150 people at Garissa University.

Al-Shabab, a militant Somali Islamist group, opposes the Somali government but has also carried out attacks throughout East Africa.

BBC