The attack on Dusit D2 Hotel, Riverside Nairobi began on Tuesday evening at around 3pm after gunmen made their way to the premises.
According to eyewitnesses, the attackers reportedly stopped a short distance from the facilities main gate for about 20 minutes.
Updates:
3:47pm: The alleged 6 gunmen were said to have embarked from their silver 5-seater hatchback before marching towards the gate on foot.
To forcefully gain access to the hotel, the attackers hurled grenades at the security officers manning the gate.
The resulting explosion saw three car burst up in flames.
4:12pm: Security agents moved in quickly although gunshots were heard close to 20 minutes after the attack.
4:19pm: DCI George Kinoti and other specialized response teams also arrived with Kenya Red Cross to help in evacuation and responding to the injured.
Recce squad security officers and Kenya Airforce teams advance into the hotel to try and neutralize the attackers.
4:39pm: Police confirmed the incident indicating that there was indeed an attack incident along 14 Riverside Drive.
"The area has since been cordoned off and motorists are advised to use alternative routes to facilitate smooth operations of the Police," police stated on Twitter.
5:07pm: The journalists covering the event were later pushed back by the police not to interfere or sabotage the security operation.
Security agencies later confirmed that all employees from Dusit D2 hotel had been rescued although at least one person had been confirmed dead.
5:38pm: An hour later, Somali based terror group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility of the attack in Nairobi.
The Village Market, a shopping mall in the neighbourhood was shutdown a few minutes after the Dusit D2 terror attack.
6:05pm: Officers from the Bomb Disposal Unit managed to detonate explosives left by the attackers in one of the vehicles which was left outside the Dusit complex.
Police and intelligence officers continue to rescue hundreds of people who had been trapped inside.
An eyewitnesses later claimed that one of the attackers at Dusit D2 Hotel visited the premise at least two times before the attack.
The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs warned its citizens in the area to exercise caution.
"There are reports of an explosion and an active shooter situation at the Dusit Hotel complex in the Westlands district of Nairobi. Avoid the area, monitor local news, and follow emergency instructions," the statement on their site read.
6:42pm: One suspect was reportedly arrested in 14th Riverside Drive attack at Hotel Dusit D2 as the operation went on.
7:56pm: Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale reveals that his daughter and 10 of her colleagues working at the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) offices are among the people trapped on the 7th floor of the Complex under attack.
8:10pm: IG Joseph Boinnet gave a second presser on the progress of the security operation to neutralize the attackers.
He noted that the operation was being coordinated by the GSU Commandant Douglas Kirocho Kanja.
Boinnet noted the attackers first initiated an explosion at I &M Bank targeting three vehicles at the parking lot with another coordinated foray of a suicide attack at Dusit D2 Hotel.
The IG indicated that six out of the seven floors of the hotel had been secured with operation ongoing to secure the last floor.
10:43pm: A senior journalist with the New York Times was forced to apologize on behalf of the paper over graphic pictures of the Riverside attack that were posted on the news site.
An article published by the incoming East Africa Bureau Chief Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura elicited anger among Kenyans online when it featured photos of the dead and those injured in the horror attack.
11:04pm: Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, issued a statement on the situation.
Addressing the media at Harambee House, the CS condemned the attack terming it a cowardly act by the 'suspected terrorists'.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the cowardly and heinous acts we witnessed in Nairobi today," he stated.
11:42pm: CCTV footage has emerged showing that there were four assailants who allegedly carried out the attack.
The clip shows four men walking into the parking lot with guns that appear to be AK47 rifles.
The CCTV footage with a time stamp of 3:32pm when the assailants gained access into 14 Riverside buildings.
Wednesday:
3:27am: Former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale confirms that his daughter has been safely rescued as the evacuation process continues with an estimated 174 people rescued overnight.
5:54am: A loud explosion and heavy gunfire was heard with reports indicating that the joint security team was advancing towards the attackers believed to be on 7th floor.
9:27am: A Recce Squad was evacuated from the Complex after sustaining injuries in the rescue operation
9:50am: A fresh round of heavy gunfire was reported from the building under attack with reports indicating two attackers had been killed.
10:25am: President Uhuru Kenyatta confirms that all the attackers had been killed and 14 people died in the attack.
12:00pm: Opposition Leader Raila Odinga issues a presser in the flanked by Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu.
12:18pm: Police carry out a raid at the house of one of the Riverside attackers at an upscale estate of Guango in Ruaka neighborhood in the outskirts of Nairobi.
2:49pm: DCI Director George Kinoti confirms that two suspects have been arrested in Eastleigh and Ruaka.
