Sources revealed that a lone gunman opened fire in a Dar es Salaam neighbourhood on Wednesday, killing three police officers and injuring six civilians.
In the course of the incident, the gunman was also shot down by police.
Many people speculated on social media that the attack was terror-related, and Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro had previously hinted that the attack could be linked to the insurgency in Northern Mozambique, where joint Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces are fighting jihadists.
At about midday, an unidentified assailant went on a shooting spree on Ali Hassan Mwinyi Road near Selanda Bridge. He was assassinated in front of the French Embassy’s front entrance.
Residents and offices of foreign missions such as the French, Japanese, Kenyan, and Russian embassies, as well as financial institutions such as the KCB Bank and Stanbic Bank, call the region home.
The attacker approached a police station and shot two policemen at point blank range, according to preliminary investigations. After that, he allegedly stole their weapons. He then began firing in the air, causing people in the area to flee for safety.