Parents Remember Texas Man Killed In Nairobi Terror Attack

When Joseph and Sarah Spindler saw news reports about the terror attack in Nairobi, their thoughts immediately turned to their son Jason.

He worked at the compound stormed by Islamic extremists who killed at least 21 people before they were gunned down.

Jason Spindler was a world traveler and avid rock climber who was out to change the world, his parents say.

The Spindlers immediately contacted the U.S. Consulate and police in Nairobi but they couldn’t provide any information.

“So, for eight hours, nobody knew where he was,” Sarah told KHOU 11 News.

Jason’s colleagues, who had been safely evacuated, told his parents he had gone to a café in the compound for lunch but had left his phone in the office because it was broken.

“Everyone was hoping and hoping that he was hiding and would turn up with the rest of the people that turned up,” Sarah said.

Instead, they got the phone call they’d been dreading from the American Embassy: Jason Spindler was killed by a suicide bomber while sitting at his favorite café.

The Spindlers had eaten at that restaurant and stayed at the hotel where the attack happened while visiting their son.