Two police officers were on Wednesday killed after a gunman staged an attack at a highly guarded area housing several foreign missions including the Kenyan embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In videos that have gone viral on social media, the attacker, who was on a shooting spree, can be seen roaming the Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road from the Selanda Bridge area.
Motorists abandoned their vehicles and fled the scene as the man with two assault rifles fired indiscriminately.
The attacker, who was was wearing a checked shirt and khaki trousers, was seen punching in the air and chest-thumping as if celebrating his acts.
He was, however, gunned down outside the French Embassy gate by security officers manning the premises.
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https://twitter.com/Atanasi_K/status/1430501835069181956?s=20
The Selanda Bridge area is surrounded by residents of foreign missions such as the French Embassy, Japanese Embassy, Kenyan embassy, Russian embassy and a close proximity to financial institutions such as Stanbic Bank and KCB Bank.
According to an eyewitness account, the attacker, who has been identified as Hamza Hassan Mohamed, arrived at Stanbic Bank headquarters and went straight to a police shed where he shot two police officers dead at point-blank before taking their weapons.
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The motive of the attack remains unknown.
The US embassy in Tanzania issued an advisory urging its citizens to avoid the affected area.
“US citizens are advised to avoid the area and monitor local media for information,” the notice reads.
Security Alert – U. S. Embassy Dar es Salaam, August 25, 2021 pic.twitter.com/EJy723tbKX
— US Embassy Tanzania (@usembassytz) August 25, 2021
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