Militant group Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Dusit Hotel in the Kenyan capital Nairobi which has injured at least six people who have been rushed to hospital by security officials after they were evacuated from the area.

Initially it was reported that the attack could have been a robbery but it now appears to be a terrorist attack after the militant group claimed responsibility late Tuesday afternoon, according to media reports.

The incident began in the afternoon in the Westland district of the capital which also houses a bank and a number of offices. Local television showed smoke rising from a compound in the district of the city, which houses a bank, the Dusit hotel,as well as offices.

While Nairobi police commander Philip Ndolo reported it could possible be a robbery, police spokesperson Charles Owino told AFP that a terrorist attack couldn’t be ruled out.

“All police teams, including anti-terror officers have been dispatched to the scene where the incident is. As of now, we are treating it as anything, including the highest attack,” said Owino.

Kenya has been battling Al Shabaab militants for a number of years following its military intervention in Somalia in October 2011 to fight the organisation. The group has since carried out numerous attacks in Kenya targeting both civilians and the military.

On April 2, 2015, an Al Shabaab attack killed 148 people at the university in Garissa, in eastern Kenya. On 21 September 2013, armed gunmen attacked the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, killing at least 69 people and injuring more than 175.