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Al Qaeda Claims Responsibility for Attack in Nairobi

A woman is rescued from the Dusit Hotel
A woman is rescued from the Dusit Hotel / Getty Images
January 15, 2019

The al Qaeda terror group's al Shabaab affiliate is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack in Nairobi Tuesday at a five-star hotel, according to messages sent by the group's media outlet.

Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda offshoot, is claiming responsibility for what appears to be a deadly attack at a hotel in Kenya.

A message sent over the Telegram communication platform by Shahada News Agency, a media group affiliated with al Shabaab, said that the terror group is behind the terror attack, according to a copy of that message obtained and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI.

"The message published on Telegram reads: 'Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen claims responsibility for the attack on the complex in the heart of the Kenya capital Nairobi."

The attack was still ongoing at the time the message was sent, according to MEMRI, and media reports on the developing situation claim that hostages are being held in the hotel.

"At least two explosions were heard near the Dusit Hotel and vehicles were seen on fire, sending plumes of black smoke over the street," the Mirror reported earlier on Tuesday. "Witnesses were spotted covered in blood and fleeing for their lives. There are also reports that hotel guests have been held hostage."

Gunshots also were reported to be heard by those near the site of the attack.