Firefighters work on cars that were damaged outside the Dusit Hotel on January 15, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. A current security operation is underway after terrorists attacked the hotel. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)
Luke Potter, aged 40, was killed when terrorists stormed the DusitD2 complex during the Nairobi attacks. He was the only South African national involved.
Firefighters work on cars that were damaged outside the Dusit Hotel on January 15, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. A current security operation is underway after terrorists attacked the hotel. (Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)
Charity worker Luke Potter has been named as the South African casualty from Tuesday’s Nairobi attacks. A total of 14 people have been killed in the terrorist atrocity, and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation confirmed that their long-serving employee was one of them.
Potter, who was aged 40, also held dual British citizenship. He was at the luxury DusitD2 complex in the Kenyan capital when members of Al-Shabaab opened fire on guests and employees alike.
Paying tribute to Potter, Gatsby hailed his devotion to the role and labelled him as a caring, loving person who will
“We are deeply shocked and saddened to confirm that Luke Potter, our Africa Programmes Director, was killed in the recent security incident in Nairobi.”
“Luke had devoted the past ten years of his career to helping some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. He had worked with us for three and a half years, carrying out assignments across East Africa.”
“We share the grief of his family, partner, daughter and friends. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with them. We are now focused on offering all the support we can to them and to our staff.”
Gatsby Charitable Foundation
One survivor rescued from the building, speaking to a local television station, said the attackers were “very confident; they were people who knew what they were doing”.
CCTV footage broadcast on local television stations showed four attackers, clad all in black and heavily armed, entering a courtyard in the compound at the start of the attack.
Luke Potter might have held a British passport but he was always a South African at heart. The most generous, compassionate and gregarious kind of person you could ever hope to meet. The kind of person you wish every person was like. https://t.co/tPay9rmGSf
— Gareth van Onselen (@GvanOnselen) January 16, 2019