American businessman who survived 9/11 then joined the Peace Corps before setting up investment firm in Kenya, is among 14 killed in Nairobi Islamist attack on his 41st birthday
- WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
- Jason Spindler, 40, was among those killed at the Dusit hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday in an Islamist attack
- He was working as an analyst for the Salomon Brothers when 9/11 happened and he escaped with his life
- At the time of his time, Spindler ran an investment firm , I-Dev International, in Nairobi
- He was thought to be having lunch at the Dusit hotel when four al-Shabaab terrorists stormed it on Tuesday
- They threw grenades at cars outside a bank before one of the gunmen blew himself up in the hotel lobby
- The other shot guests – some of whom hid under tables or fled through windows onto ladders
- The three gunmen were killed but it remains unclear if they killed themselves or were brought down
- The Kenyan president said on Tuesday night the attack was over but gunshots and explosions were head on Wednesday morning
- CCTV has emerged showing three suspected al-Shabaab attackers entering the complex before opening fire
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Jason Spindler, 40, was killed at the Dusit hotel along with 13 others on Tuesday
An American businessman who survived 9/11 is among those who was killed in an Islamist attack at a hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday on his 41st birthday.
Jason Spindler was killed at the Dusit hotel along with 13 others when four attackers stormed the luxury hotel with grenades, guns and a bomb.
He was having lunch in the hotel’s cafe, which he often did, when he was attacked along with other diners and hotel guests.
Spindler was the CEO of I-DEV International, a management strategy and investment firm that is based in the Kenyan capital.
He grew up in Texas then worked as an analyst for an investment firm before leaving Wall Street after 9/11 to work for the Peace Corps and later devote his career to developing technology and finance in emerging markets such as Kenya.
He escaped 9/11 with his life after the building he was working in – Building 7 – collapsed as a result of debris from the North Tower plane strike.
His brother, Jonathan, confirmed his death on Tuesday, saying: ‘It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that my brother, Jason, passed away this morning during a terror attack in Nairobi.
‘Jason was a survivor of 9/11 and a fighter. I am sure he gave them hell.
‘There are no words to describe how our family is feeling but I can say… Jason Spindler, you are and always will be an amazing son, brother and uncle.
‘Rest in peace – we will miss you dearly.’
Friends reported online that Spindler was having lunch at the hotel when the attack began at 3pm.
His father said on Wednesday that he had been living in Kenya for around five years. He launched his company, I-Dev International, in 2007.
Friend Chris Shroeder said on Facebook after news of his death emerged: ‘Jason Spindler was one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone be touched in Kenya and around the world.
‘He chose a life of hope and inclusion. I am grateful to have known and learned from him.’
It was previously reported that an American woman was also among the dead but a State Department spokesman confirmed to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that only one US citizen lost their life.
‘We can confirm that a U.S. citizen was killed in the attack. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of this individual.
‘Out of respect for the family of the deceased, we have no further comment,’ a spokesman said. A British man, who is yet to be named, is also feared to be among those killed.
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‘I am sure he gave them hell’: Spindler’s family and friends said on Tuesday that he had been working in Nairobi to encourage emerging, third world markets. He ran an investment firm in the Kenyan capital and had previously worked as an analyst for the Salomon Brothers
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Spindler was working as an analyst for the Salomon Brothers when 9/11 happened. He escaped with his life from the Building 7, which was completely destroyed. Debris from the North Tower collapse landed on the building and caused fires to spread on the lower floors.
Spindler was described as an ‘incredible entrepreneur’ who was committed to ‘improving the lives of millions’
Flaws in its internal fire suppression system failed to stop the blaze from spreading and, at 5.21pm – nearly nine hours after the first plane hit the North Tower, it collapsed.
After the attacks, he joined the Peace Corps.
He previously attended school in Maine, college in Texas and law at NYU.
On Tuesday night, Spindler’s mother Sarah Sandler said he had been trying to make changes in emerging markets when he was killed.
‘[He was] was trying to make positive change in the third world in emerging markets.
‘We all miss him so much.
‘And it’s so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism,’ she told NBC.
Another friend and colleague described him as an ‘incredible entrepreneur’ who ‘worked tirelessly to improve the livelihoods of millions of people.’ .
Spindler continued working as an analyst in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 then left Wall Street in 2003 to join a management services company.
In 2005, Spindler joined the Peace Corps in Peru as a business and economic development volunteer.
He briefly pursued human rights law after taking a break from work to study at NYU in 2006, then launched his company in 2007.
Spindler was an avid traveler. He is pictured, left, at the Kilimanjaro summit in 2013 and in Jerusalem, right, in 2014
Friends mourned the businessman (shown far left with a group during a trip to Puerto Rico in 2017) as news of his death emerged
Spindler is pictured during a trip to Puerto Rico with friends in 2013 (left) and (right), rock climbing in Nairobi
A CCTV grab showing one of four suspected al Shabaab attackers who opened fire in the hotel as a suicide bomber detonated in the lobby
CCTV showing two of the attackers walking past a barrier towards the hotel wearing dark paramilitary-style gear. Al Shabaab has already claimed responsibility for the carnage
A woman collapses after seeing the body of a family member at a mortuary in Nairobi on Wednesday morning
The relative of one of the people killed in the attack weeps outside a mortuary in Nairobi on Wednesday morning
A wounded member of the Kenyan special forces is carried into a Red Cross ambulance on Wednesday morning
Gunmen blasted their way into the venue on Tuesday at 3pm, sending workers fleeing for their lives as others cowered under their desks. Pictured: Bullet holes in the windows of a restaurant inside the hotel
Security forces rescue two women from the hotel, one of whom had lost a shoe, after an hours-long siege on Tuesday. The Kenyan president said the siege was over on Tuesday night and that all of the terrorists had been ‘eliminated’ but there were still gunshots and explosions heard at the site on Wednesday morning
Civilians who had been hiding in the hotel flee with security forces on Tuesday after an hours-long stand-off
Rescued: A distressed woman is taken out of the luxury hotel complex during the terror attack on Tuesday
The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab claimed that it was behind the attack at the complex – which includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices. Pictured: People run for cover
A security guard helps two women to flee from the Nairobi hotel (left) while others escape through a window before climbing down a ladder
Kenyan security forces walk from the scene as continued blasts and gunfire could be heard early on Wednesday
HERO SOLDIER RAN INTO HOTEL TO RESCUE GUESTS
A British soldier hero jumped in to fight a group of Islamist terrorists who launched an attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya, killing 14 people, on Tuesday.
The unnamed man from Britain’s Special Air Service, whose training is similar to that of Navy SEALS, was seen entering the hotel in combat gear which he wore with jeans and a purple shirt on Tuesday.
He carried an assault rifle into the building and was seen helping Kenyan security forces rescue people on his way out.
In one photograph, he is seen carrying a limp survivor out in his arms. In others, the man is seen holding hands with a different survivor as he leads her to safety.
The British ‘SAS soldier’ is seen helping to evacuate an injured man from the scene in Nairobi
The four Nairobi attackers, one wearing a green belt laden with grenades, were seen on CCTV blasting their way into the hotel and office complex in Nairobi after detonating car bombs outside a nearby bank .
The suicide bomber then blew himself up in the lobby before the other three began hurling grenades and shooting people as they fled or hid under tables.
In nearly 12 hours of fast-moving developments clouded by erroneous official statements, it has emerged –
- Four gunmen burst into the 14 Riverside Drive hotel and business complex at around 3pm local time
- Targeted cars outside a bank with explosives before one detonated a suicide bomb in the hotel lobby
- Other three sprayed bullets at terrified workers and guests, who fled or hid under desks and tables
- Special forces arrived at the scene and at 11pm officials said the scene was ‘under control and safe’
- But gunfire heard two hours later when it emerged injured people remained trapped inside building
- At 2am – 11 hours after attack began – people were still being evacuated and more gunfire was heard.
Charles Njenga, a worker at the complex, said after fleeing: ‘What I have seen is terrible. I have seen a human as I ran out and there is what looks like minced meat all over.’
President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday morning that all three remaining attackers had been eliminated overnight and that the security operation is now over.
Kenyatta said that 14 civilians have been confirmed dead and that more than 700 people had been evacuated to safety from the the 14 Riverside Drive complex – which includes a large hotel known as DusitD2, banks and offices.
Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda claimed that it was behind the terror attack, which also saw another British citizen injured.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man killed in the recent terrorist attack in Kenya. We are also supporting a British person who was wounded during the attack and is receiving medical attention.
‘We stand ready to help any other British people affected.’
The attack began at around 3pm local time, when the four gunmen threw bombs at cars parked outside the hotel before walking into the lobby, where the suicide bomber blew himself up.
Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen believed holed up inside. About eight hours after the siege began, Interior Minister Fred Matian’i said that all of the buildings affected by the attack had been secured and that security forces were mopping up.
‘I would like to reiterate that the situation is under control and the country is safe,’ he said.
However, more gunfire was heard about an hour later, Kenyan broadcaster NTV reported. Reports at around 2.00am local time (11pm GMT) also said people remained trapped.
A woman, who gave her name only as Nelly, said: ‘I have spoken to my brother just now and we are exchanging text messages.
‘He is in there and he has told me they are hiding with over 10 other people. Why is the government saying they have rescued them?’
Two hours later, there was more gunfire as rescuers tried to evacuate around 50 survivors.
Civilians flee as gunfire erupts at the hotel complex, while members of the security forces (right) fire back at the attackers
A woman is carried out of the hotel and office complex on a stretcher in the Kenyan capital after al Shabaab Islamists set off explosions and hurled grenades
Unidentified witnesses who made it out of the building are embraced by others outside the complex
Survivors duck down to avoid being shot and cling to the person in front as they are led out of the complex in single file
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Security forces armed with assault rifles stand guard and help evacuate people at the scene in Nairobi
Survivors run for their lives in the street as a gunfight ensued between al Shabaab terrorists and Kenyan security guards
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An armed soldier takes cover next to a bullet hole-riddled glass during ongoing gunfire and explosions in Nairobi
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Those saved included a pregnant woman, a first responder said, and the daughter of a former lawmaker. Ex-MP Boni Khalwale tweeted that she had been saved more than 12 hours after Somali Islamists began their attack.
Bloody terror attacks that have hit Kenya since the 1980s
WESTGATE MALL, SEPTEMBER 2013
Al Shabaab fighters burst into a luxury shopping mall in Nairobi, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead. The assault horrified the world and exposed weaknesses in Kenya’s security forces after it took them hours to respond.
GARISSA UNIVERSITY, APRIL 2015
The al Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on Garissa University that killed 147 people, mostly students. The attack occurred near the Somalia border that had seen multiple assaults on buses and schools. The extremists separated Christians from Muslims and killed the Christians.
BOMBINGS OF US EMBASSIES, AUGUST 1998
Al-Qaeda bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, and the embassy in neighbouring Tanzania, killing more than 250 people. The explosions were the first major al-Qaeda attack on U.S. targets. Nearly 5,000 people were injured.
NORFOLK HOTEL, DECEMBER 1980
The hotel was bombed on New Year’s Eve and killed at least 15. Suspicion fell on Palestinian militant groups that targeted Kenya for supporting Israel.
Al Shabaab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said: ‘We are behind the attack in Nairobi. The operation is going on. We shall give details later.’
Two Kenyans in their early 30s working with governance consultants Adam Smith International were among the dead, a family member said. Both had young families, she said.
A Spanish national was among the injured, a Spanish diplomat said.
The US Embassy had offered assistance, a State Department official said, adding all American diplomats were safe.
A woman shot in the leg was carried out of the complex, and several men emerged covered in blood. Some office workers climbed out of windows. Many said they had to leave colleagues behind, still huddled under their desks.
‘There’s a grenade in the bathroom,’ one officer yelled as police rushed out from one building.
Geoffrey Otieno, who works at a beauty salon in the complex, said he heard a loud bang from something thrown inside the building, then saw shattered glass.
‘We hid until we were rescued,’ he said.
John Maingi said there had been ‘a flash of lights and a loud bang’ at the Secret Garden restaurant where he works.
‘When I peeped outside I saw a human leg which has been cut off. We hid in the room and then some police officers rescued us,’ he said.
Survivors reported hearing a shattering blast and saw people mowed down by gunmen as they sat in a cafe. Victims were left lying on tables, bleeding.
‘We were changing our shifts, and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming,’ said Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner at the cafe and managed to crawl out a basement gate. ‘I couldn’t believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex.’
Several vehicles are burning while people are being rushed and carried from the scene in the Kenyan capital
An injured man is evacuated from the scene of an explosion. Thick black smoke can be seen billowing from the complex behind them
Shell-shocked survivors are rushed to safety from the complex, barely-clothed, by security forces
Paramedics come to the aid of an injured woman who has collapsed on the road after fleeing the scene of the terror attack
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A shell-shocked woman is evacuated form the Dusit Hotel by hotel staff and security guards who try to calm her down
Burnt-out cars in a parking lot within the complex. Police say one of the explosions was caused by a car bomb
An unexploded grenade lies in a hallway in a hotel complex under attack by al Shabaab extremists
Police say a car bomb was detonated by terrorists in the car park, before gunmen opened fire – sending workers fleeing for their lives and cowering under desks
An injured man is taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital after the attack on the luxury hotel and business complex
Meanwhile, Simon Crump, an Australian who works for an international firm in the complex, barricaded himself inside a spare room with two other people. He said they waited for more than two hours for help to arrive.
‘You’re hiding under a desk trying to figure out what’s going on, and you just don’t know, as there’s so much misinformation,’ he said.
MUSLIM LEADERS CONDEMN ATTACK
A group of Muslim leaders in Kenya’s capital have condemned the deadly hotel attack by Islamic extremists, calling it ‘immoral and inconsistent with any human values.’
In a statement, the leaders urge Kenyans to stay calm and united and to ‘shun the desperate attempts by some misguided elements to divide the country along religious and ethnic lines.’
Kenya’s president says security forces killed the gunmen who attacked a luxury hotel and shopping complex in Nairobi on Tuesday. President Uhuru Kenyatta says 14 ‘innocent people’ were killed.
Al-Shabab – the Somalia-based extremist group linked to al-Qaida – claimed responsibility for the carnage.
When soldiers finally reached the group, they instructed them to put their phones away and put their hands in the air as they made their way to safety.
A Kenyan police officer who was among the first on the scene said ‘there was no time to count the dead’ but that there were many bodies. A mortuary worker later said 15 had been killed, including a Briton and an American. The other victims are believed to be Kenyan, although two did not have any documents.
Around 30 people are also being treated in hospital, according to local media reports.
A witness who gave his name only as Ken said he saw five bodies at the hotel entrance. He said that other people were shouting for help and ‘when we rushed back to try to rescue them, gunshots started coming from upstairs, and we had to duck because they were targeting us and we could see two guys shooting.’
Kenyan hospitals appealed for blood donations even as the number of wounded remained unclear.
Video from inside the hotel showed Kenyan security officers searching the building and scared workers emerging from hiding while gunfire could still be heard.
Some climbed out of a window by a ladder.
rotaOne man got up from the floor where he appeared to be trying to hide under a piece of wood paneling, then showed his ID. As officers searched luxury fashion displays, wounded people were carried away on stretchers.
A member of the security forces is seen reflected in a window as he inspects bullet-holes in the glass
A bloodied victim is brought to the Kenyatta National Hospital with gun wounds following the terrorist attack
Kenyan RedCross workers provide first aid service to an injured woman who has blood dripping down her head and in her hands
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Like the attack at the luxury Westgate Mall, this one appeared aimed at wealthy Kenyans and foreigners living in the country. It came a day after a magistrate ruled that three men must stand trial in connection with the Westgate Mall siege.
Al-Shabaab has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops to Somalia since 2011. The al-Qaida-linked group has killed hundreds of people in Kenya.
In 2015, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on Kenya’s Garissa University that killed 147 people, mostly students. Tuesday’s violence also came three years to the day after al-Shabaab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.
The latest carnage demonstrated al-Shabaab’s continued ability to carry out spectacular acts of bloodshed despite a dramatic increase in US airstrikes against it under President Donald Trump.
Tourism – an important source of revenue in Kenya, where safaris are a major attraction – has suffered because of the violence.
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An injured man is held up by a paramedic as he makes his way out of the complex
An armed officer tells survivors to stay back and duck down as he tries to lead them to safety
Kenyan special forces take position at the scene following several explosions and heavy gunfire
A woman is in tears as she’s rescued from the Dusit Hotel on Riverside Drive in the Kenyan capital
A female member of staff cries after making it out of the complex. Her male colleagues and a guard console her
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Kenyan special forces armed with AK-47s crouch in bushes outside of the hotel complex as they fight back against terrorists
Cars were seen burning at the scene amid reports of explosions and heavy gunfire
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Survivors make their way arm-in-arm from the hotel complex as fires rage behind them and engulf vehicles parked on the street
Members of security forces take up position at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound
Members of the Kenyan Army take up positions as they prepare to engage with the gunman inside the building
People are evacuated from the complex – some down a ladder – after gunfire and explosions were heard
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A Kenyan intelligence official said the country had been on high alert since November, with information about potential attacks on high-profile targets in Nairobi. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Despite the repeated attacks, the Kenya-Somalia border remains porous, with al-Shabaab extremists able to easily bribe their way across, according to a U.N. panel.
The hotel complex in Nairobi’s Westlands neighborhood is about a miles from Westgate Mall on a relatively quiet, tree-lined road in what is considered one of the most secure parts of the city. The hotel’s website says it is ‘cocooned away from the hustle and bustle in a secure and peaceful haven.’
Who are al Shabaab? Extremist group linked to al-Qaeda who killed 67 in 2013 Nairobi shopping centre attack
The al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, whose name means ‘The Youth,’ seeks to impose its strict version of sharia law in East Africa.
The group is particularly active in Somalia, where it has an estimated 7,000 to 9,000 militants in its ranks who frequently unleash attacks targeting security and government officials, as well as hotels and restaurants in the capital.
The group has also behind deadly attacks in Kenya and Uganda, which both contribute troops to an African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.
Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, after Al-Shabaab gunmen raided the shopping centre killing more than sixty people in 2013
Yesterday’s attack immediately reminded many Kenyans of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi in 2013, when al-Shabaab extremists burst into the luxury shopping centre, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead.
British jihadi Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the White Widow, was rumoured to have been involved in planning that attack.
The complex attacked yesterday is less than two miles from Westgate Mall and is in what is considered one of the most secure areas of the city.
The attack came three years to the day after al-Shabaab extremists attacked a Kenyan military base in Somalia, killing scores of people.
The al Shabaab objects to the presence of Kenyan troops in the turbulent Horn of Africa nation.
British jihadi Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the White Widow, was rumoured to have been involved in planning the Westgate Mall attack
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- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
- Watch video
