Insecurity reigns in Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of Tanzania. Three police officers and a private security agent were killed there on Wednesday in a shootout near the French embassy, a police official said.
The attacker, whose motives are currently unknown, was shot dead by the police in front of the French representation building. “It is too early to conclude that this is terrorism, we are still investigating the motives,” said chief of police operations Liberatus Sabas, adding that six people were also injured.
Shot dead in front of the embassy entrance
The SITE organization, which specializes in monitoring jihadist sites, reported in the evening that a media linked to the Islamic State (IS) group had mentioned an “attack on the French embassy” in Dar es Salaam carried out by a man of Somali nationality. However, no claim was made.
The exchanges of fire took place at midday on Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road, avenue de Dar es Salaam where several embassies and foreign representations are located. Videos released by local media show a man armed with an automatic rifle, wearing a checkered t-shirt and wearing a white kufi (Muslim prayer cap), walking on a sidewalk, including a bus and tuk-tuk . He is then seen being shot while standing in front of the entrance to the French Embassy.
Request for a full investigation
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences for the four deaths and called for a full investigation. The opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency party also called for careful investigations. “I strongly urge the state, and in particular the security services, to fully investigate what happened today and understand the cause. We need to know if this was an isolated event or (if there are) more important implications for the security of our nation, ”party leader Zitto Kabwe said on Twitter. The French Foreign Ministry has not yet commented.