US Offers Ksh1.2B Reward For Dusit D2 Hotel Terror Attack Mastermind

The United States (US) Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is offering a reward of up to Ksh1.24 billion ($10 million) for information on a wanted terror suspect linked to the Dusit D2 Hotel Complex attack in Nairobi.

In a statement on Thursday, January 12, RFJ, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), is seeking the capture of Mohamoud Abdi Aden and any other individual responsible for the 2019 attack by al-Shabaab terrorists on the hotel complex.

"On the afternoon of January 15, 2019, al-Shabaab gunmen armed with explosives, automatic weapons, and grenades attacked the DusitD2 commercial centre, a six-building complex of shops, offices, and a hotel. At least 21 people, including one U.S. citizen, were killed in the assault.

Terrorists captured on CCTV at the Dusit D2 Hotel in Nairobi on January 15, 2019. /BBC

"Al-Shabaab — an affiliate of the al-Qa’ida terrorist organization — released live updates throughout the attack via its official Shahada News Agency and issued a press release in which it stated that the attack was in response to guidance from then al-Qa’ida leader Ayman Zawahiri," RFJ stated in part.

Aden, an al-Shabaab leader, helped plan the January 2019 attack. On October 17, 2022, the Department of State designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.

“Do you have information on Mohamoud Abdi Aden? Submit your tip now. You could receive a reward of up to $10,000,000 (Ksh1.2 billion),” said a poster on the wanted man.

Those with information are requested to call the Kenyan number +254-71-87-12-36 or Somalia’s +252-68-43-43-308.

On January 15, 2019, al-Shabaab terrorists killed 22 people in an attack at the hotel, which began when a suicide bomber detonated himself outside a restaurant in the courtyard at 3:28 pm.

Four gunmen; Ali Salim Gichunge, Osman Ibrahim Gedi, Siyat Omar Abdi, and an unknown individual, then proceeded with the attack using AK-pattern rifles and grenades, targeting people within the Dusit D2 Hotel and surrounding shops.

The terrorists’ images emerged in December 2020 when al-Shabaab released a seven-minute clip showing them preparing to attack the complex.

Officials had explained that the DusitD2 attack was carried out on a significant date, coinciding with the third anniversary of al-Shabaab’s overrunning of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base in El Adde, Gedo region.

Suspects Mire Abdulahi Ali, Mohamed Hussein Abdile and Mohamed Abdi Ali are facing at least five charges in connection with the attack which also left dozens wounded. The charges include conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, aiding and abetting a terror act, committing fraud in the registration of documents and facilitation of a terror act.

The attackers had planned to stream the attack live on social media, but their plans were cut short by the swift response from security agencies and other parties.

The hotel was reopened and closed months later due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Entrance to Dusit D2 Hotel. /FILE