On January 15, 2019, five gunmen attacked the DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood. The attack began with a suicide bomber in the hotel lobby, and was followed by gunfire. Terror group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 21 people. The attack was unexpected, because the area that it took place in is generally understood to be a very safe area. Citizens of many countries were inside the hotel due to Nairobi being East Africa's economic hub.