Father Of Texan Killed In Kenya Hotel Attack Speaks Out
NAIROBI, Kenya (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The father of the Texan killed in the attack in Kenya's capital says his son worked in the complex and often ate at a cafe in the luxury hotel targeted by the gunmen.
Jason Spindler's father, Joseph, says his son grew up in Houston, graduated from the University of Texas and was enjoying a successful career on Wall Street when he decided that he wanted to develop a model for helping low-income people.
Jason Spindler entered the Peace Corps and lived in Peru, where he developed sustainable business models for rural residents.
Spindler, who would have turned 41 next Tuesday, later became a founder of I-DEV International and had been living in Kenya for about five years.
His father says he worked with international companies to form business partnerships in Kenya that would boost local economies.
On social media family members also said Spindler was a survivor of the September 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, where he was living and working at the time.
The U.S. State Department has only confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed.
A group of Muslim leaders in Kenya's capital have condemned the attack, calling it "immoral and inconsistent with any human values."
In a statement, the leaders urge Kenyans to stay calm and united and to "shun the desperate attempts by some misguided elements to divide the country along religious and ethnic lines."
Kenya's president says security forces killed the gunmen. But President Uhuru Kenyatta says 14 "innocent people" were killed.
Al-Shabab — the Somalia-based extremist group linked to al-Qaida — claimed responsibility for the carnage.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)