Tanzania: A gunman opened fire near the French embassy building in Dar-us-Salam, killing three police officers and a private security guard. However, the perpetrator was killed after retaliation from the embassy guardhouse at the gate of the building.
The gunman was seen by witnesses near the French Embassy building in the street. Videos of the guard post were recorded which were then seen on the internet.
Police say the assailant opened fire on two police officers at the intersection of the first district, where the homes of several diplomatic officers are located. He picked up the rifles of the fallen police officers and moved towards the French embassy a few hundred meters away, firing indiscriminately.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Twitter that the attacker had been killed and that the danger was over.
Natoa pole kwa Jeshi la Polisi na familia za Askari 3, na Askari 1 wa kampuni ya ulinzi ya SGA waliopoteza maisha baada ya mtu aliyekuwa na silaha kuwashambulia katika eneo la Salenda, Dar es Salaam.
Mtu huyo amedhibitiwa na hali ni shwari. Nawaagiza Polisi kuchunguza kwa kina.— Samia Suluhu (@SuluhuSamia) August 25, 2021
“I offer my condolences to the families of the police services, three police officers, and an officer of the SGA Security Company who lost their lives in an armed attack in the Salinda area of Dar-us-Salam,” she said on Twitter.
In addition to the four people killed in the attack, six others were injured, Libertas Sabas, Commissioner of Police for Operations and Training, said in a tweet on the Tanzanian police force’s Twitter account.
Police are trying to identify the attacker, but the motive for the attack is still unknown, Inspector General of Police Simon Cerro said in an interview broadcast on local television.
He said the attack could be linked to Tanzania’s role in neighboring Mozambique, where it has sent troops this month as part of a regional security force to help fight the insurgency.
“The problem is that our troops are there,” Simon Cerro was quoted as saying.
Police official Libertas Sabas told reporters it was too early to say whether the gunman was a Tanzanian national or a terrorist.
Footage broadcast on Tanzanian television showed police officers in bulletproof jackets wrapping the body in cloth outside the embassy to remove it from the scene.
SGA Security, the main security provider in East Africa, did not immediately return a request for comment.
The French embassy in Dar-us-Salam could not be reached for comment, neither could the French Foreign Ministry officials in Paris.
Ehsan Mani Quits as Chairman of the PCB
CPEC will usher era of prosperity, progress in region: FIEDMC chairman
Stay tuned to Baaghi TV for the latest news and updates!
