This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
January 15, 2019: A Day of Terror in Nairobi ¶
The first signs of the attack came through tweets from people who had heard gunshots at the hotel, quickly escalating into cries for help.
"14 Riverside under massive attack. Gunshots all over, someone out there please help. Thousands of lives in danger," tweeted Aggie Assimwe Konde, a witness who worked at Msingi offices opposite the hotel.
Within minutes, the newsroom switched to breaking news mode, with uncertainty surrounding whether it was a terrorist attack or a robbery.
Officers from the nearby Australian embassy were the first to respond, confirming that it was a terror attack.
A grey Toyota car, with three male occupants, had tried to force its way into the complex, prompting police officers to deflate its tyres.
The car's occupants then walked on foot to the first building, shooting at anyone on sight, before an explosion was heard, which later turned out to be the work of a suicide bomber, Mahir Khalid Riziki.
It was the first suicide bombing in Kenya's history, and Riziki was a Kenyan homegrown terrorist who had been recruited five years earlier and trained in Somalia.
He re-entered Kenya two weeks before the attack, with the help of Fawaz Ahmed Hamdun, another homegrown terrorist who was arrested in Mombasa nine months later.
After the attack, the government performed exceptionally well, with the rescue operation being well-executed.
Within minutes of the first gunshots and explosions, specialised units led by the Recce Squad were on site, helping to evacuate people and comb buildings from floor to floor.
They were assisted by security officers attached to various embassies, including the US, the UK, and Australia.
After 19 hours, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the siege was over, with 21 people dead and 700 rescued.
