Family of Jewish American killed in Kenya terror attack sues Iran over alleged al-Shabaab ties

The family of an American killed in a 2019 al-Shabaab terrorist attack in Kenya sued Iran on Thursday, alleging that the Islamic regime provided material support to the Somali terrorist organization.

Jason Spindler, 40, a Jewish American entrepreneur, was among the 21 people killed in the attack on the DusitD2 Hotel and business complex in Nairobi on Jan. 15, 2019. A suicide bomber detonated explosives at the compound before four gunmen armed with AK-pattern rifles and grenades stormed the site, according to the complaint.

Spindler founded I-Dev International, a consulting and investment firm focused on developing private-sector opportunities in emerging African markets. Following his death, members of Nairobi’s Jewish community helped repatriate his remains to the United States.

His parents, Jane and Joseph Spindler, and his brothers filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The complaint alleges that Iran, including through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force, provided al-Shabaab and affiliated groups with weapons, training, financing and logistical support. It cites reports from the United States and United Nations documenting Iranian involvement in arms transfers and smuggling networks in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack the day after the assault, naming the operation “Al-Qudsu Lan Tuhawwad,” translated as “Jerusalem will never be Judaized.” The group said it targeted “Western and Zionist interests worldwide” and described the attack as “support of our Muslim families in Palestine,” according to the court filing.

The terrorist group also stated that the attack was retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s “December 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the subsequent relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018,” per the filing.

Spindler’s family is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial.

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