This past Wednesday, militants attacked a hotel and business center in Nairobi, Kenya. At least 14 people were killed. Soon after the attack, it was revealed that one of the casualties was an American citizen.
Then, on Thursday it was revealed that the American killed was a Texan by the name of Jason Spindler. Spindler had been working in World Trade Center Building 7 during the 9/11 attacks. He had served in the Peace Corps in Peru, and was serving as the CEO of the investment firm I-Dev International. He had studied business both at the University of Texas and NYU.
Tributes from friends and family began to pour in.
@MatinaStevis Devastating. When we were staring open capital Jason was our closest direct competitor: I wanted to h… https://t.co/r0jfmaxe1U— W (@W) 1547648601.0
Jason Spindler was one of those rare men who was loved by pretty much anyone be touched in Kenya and around the wor… https://t.co/kFVKuzEOyW— Christopher Schroeder (@Christopher Schroeder) 1547611087.0
@cmschroed So sorry for your loss. Putting a face to the 14 fatalities is gut wrenching 😢😢— First of Her Name (@First of Her Name) 1547659241.0
@cmschroed @johnallannamu Sorry for your loss and you can be sure as Kenyans we will never forget him and he remains in our hearts.— Protich Peter (@Protich Peter) 1547750601.0
@cmschroed My condolences, Jason was a great mentor and I am proud to have worked at I-DEV. Any words here seem ban… https://t.co/DpdCJTjX5S— Ana Sofia Almagro (@Ana Sofia Almagro) 1547628342.0
@cmschroed This is incredibly sad news. Had the pleasure of having lunch with Jason a while back. Awesome guy & ext… https://t.co/YxNPGGl4ts— Chris Kimani (@Chris Kimani) 1547620058.0
So sad! One of the victims of the #Kenya terror attack was an American Jewish entrepreneur who had survived 9/11.… https://t.co/lFg8futpPS— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Arsen Ostrovsky) 1547662708.0
@Ostrov_A May the almighty have mercy on the all the victims of this evil terrorist attack . God bless them all .— Saif (@Saif) 1547749604.0
@Ostrov_A RIP, so sad. He sounds like an amazing man.— immigration detention = $770/night squalor🍑 (@immigration detention = $770/night squalor🍑) 1547701372.0
@Ostrov_A prayers and love RIP 💔🙏🙏🙏— tactical_blonde @CEDAWinLaw.com⚖️@CedawPT (@tactical_blonde @CEDAWinLaw.com⚖️@CedawPT) 1547705121.0
We are deeply saddened to hear about the death of Jason Spindler, Managing Director of @IDEVNews and Skoll World Fo… https://t.co/cxKugmhRek— Skoll Foundation (@Skoll Foundation) 1547664469.0
Spindler's mother told NBC...
"It's so sad that such a bright young person is taken away by terrorism."
She noted that her son was...
"trying to make positive change in the Third World in emerging markets."
Our hearts are with Jason Spindler's family and friends in this difficult time.