Suicide bomber footage aired

Kenyans attend the burial for Abdalla sheikh at Lagata cemetery after an attack at DustilD2 Hotel along Riverside Drive in Nairobi which amid with explosions. [PHOTO: JOHN MUCHUCHA]

CCTV footage that has been made available captures the moment one of the terrorists at the dusitD2 hotel blew himself up at the start of Tuesday’s attack.

The footage, which has been shown by various international media, suggests that the unidentified attacker stormed the entrance of the hotel complex, apparently wearing a suicide vest.

He walks with long strides, but changes his pace as he approaches the junction that leads to the hotel.

The man later stands in front of the nearby Secret Garden restaurant for almost a minute as he tries to detonate the vest.

Two people, including a cook, walk past him. The cook seems curious, but walks on shortly before the terrorist blows himself up.

In other CCTV footage, a police officer manning I&M Bank at the 14 Riverside Drive complex confronts four other terrorists who are shooting randomly as they walk towards the hotel lobby.

Forced retreat

The footage shows the police officer walking out of the bank hall after the blast goes off at the Secret Garden restaurant, also in the complex.

In the confusion, he spots the gunmen walking in his direction while firing. He fires back, prompting a barrage of shooting directed at him.

This forces him to retreat into the bank as the workers run back to safety.

The attackers hurl a grenade at the entrance of the bank as they walk away and head to the dusitD2 hotel lobby and the Secret Garden restaurant.

A witness, Faith Chepchirchir, said she saw people who were running towards the gate after the blast turn back.

Opposite direction

“I saw everyone who was running towards the gate coming back and heading to the opposite direction. We closed the doors as bullets were being sprayed all over.

She added that the gunmen went to an upper floor of the hotel and started shooting from there.

A General Service Unit officer attached to the Presidential Guard Unit was shot dead as he and his colleagues tried to free some of the people who were trapped in the hotel.

Many people were holed up in the complex for several hours, hiding from the attackers in bathrooms and under tables and chairs.