A look at large-scale extremist attacks in Kenya

The Associated Press
Undercover police are seen at the scene of a blast in Nairobi, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. An upscale hotel complex in Kenya's capital came under attack on Tuesday, with a blast and heavy gunfire. Witnesses and police at the scene called it a terror attack. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Here is a look at large-scale extremist attacks in Kenya over the years:

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WESTGATE MALL, SEPT. 2013

Al-Shabab fighters burst into a luxury shopping mall in Nairobi, hurling grenades and starting a days-long siege that left 67 people dead. The assault on a sunny weekend afternoon horrified the world and exposed weaknesses in Kenya's security forces after it took them hours to respond.

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GARISSA UNIVERSITY, APRIL 2015

The al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack on Garissa University that killed 147 people, mostly students. The attack occurred in a sprawling region near the Somalia border that had seen multiple assaults on buses and schools in which the extremists often separated Christians from Muslims and then killed the Christians.

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BOMBINGS OF U.S. EMBASSIES, AUGUST 1998

Al-Qaida bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, and the embassy in neighboring Tanzania, killing more than 250 people. The explosions were the first major al-Qaida attack on U.S. targets. Nearly 5,000 people were injured.

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NORFOLK HOTEL, DEC. 1980

The hotel was bombed on New Year's Eve and local media reported that at least 15 people died. Suspicion fell on Palestinian militant groups that allegedly targeted Kenya for supporting Israel in counterterrorism missions, including a 1976 hostage rescue in neighboring Uganda. The groups denied involvement.