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VIDEO:Military Charge>Terrorists-Attack Mall -More Dead & Injured
'All Muslims leave... we only want to kill non-Muslims': Gunmen massacre at least 30 and wound scores more including Americans in terror attack on upscale Kenyan mall used by Westerners
Security guards wheel out bodies in shopping trolleys from Westlands Shopping Centre Foreign Secretary William Hague confirms British citizens are caught up in the terrorist attack in Nairobi The US State Department has also confirmed Americans were at the shopping centre Evidence suggests the Somalian terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has links to Al-Qaeda, may be to blame The terrorist organisation released a statement released saying it warned Kenya to remove troops from Somalia Hostages are being held by at least five attackers still in building The army and special forces are helping police flush out the gunmen Upmarket mall is a top shopping spot for expats and wealthy Kenyans Police opened fire after gunmen launched attack at midday today Armed gang believed to have been terrorists, police say Kenya Red Cross says at least 25 dead though police not given exact toll Witness says attackers told shoppers non-Muslims were the targets Somali militant group al-Shabaab threatened to attack mall but no one yet claimed responsibility Daily Mail UK, 21 September 2013 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...38_964x375.jpg Escape: Women carrying children run for safety as armed police hunt gunmen who went on a shooting spree in Westgate shopping centre WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Witnesses said armed police opened fire on gunmen at the exclusive Westgate centre shopping mall in the Westlands district of Nairobi, Kenya. Pictures show shoppers who were rescued alive from the mall by police, although dozens were injured - and the Kenya Red Cross says at least 15 were killed. An armed stand-off is still underway between police (pictured bottom left) and the attackers and officials say hostages have been taken in what they declare a terrorist attack, with one witness saying the gunmen opened fire with the words that they were targeting non-Muslims Gunmen who opened fire at a shopping centre killing at least 25 and injuring dozens more today let muslims go free if they could prove they were Islamic.Witnesses caught up in the attack at Westlands Shopping Centre, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said anyone who could recite a muslim prayer to their captors was allowed to leave unscathed. But the attackers turned their guns on anyone who could not prove their Islamic credentials. Sir Simon Fraser, the Foreign Office's chief civil servant and head of the Diplomatic Service, said on Twitter that Britons had been caught up in the incident. He posted: '@foreignoffice (The Foreign Office) and @UKinKenya (British High Commission) working hard on Nairobi shooting and hostage crisis to help all involved esp Brits.' This was later backed up by Foreign Secretary William Hague who said there were 'undoubtedly British nationals' caught up in the attack. Sky News is reporting that the US State Department has confirmed US citizens are among the casualties. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...85_964x653.jpg Spree: Shots are still being heard in the mall as police and terrorists engage in a stand-off http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_964x664.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...48_964x644.jpg Downing Street confirmed Prime Minister David Cameron had spoken to President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, this afternoon about the attack. Kenyan police and soldiers have pinned down the remaining gunmen who opened fire at a shopping centre earlier today, killing 25 and leaving at least 50 others injured. A security source at the scene in the capital Nairobi confirmed the attackers had been isolated. The source said: 'The attackers have been isolated and are pinned down in an area on one of the floors - the rest of the mall seems to be secure.' No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is looking increasingly likely the Somalia terrorist group al-Shabaab may be responsible. A statement released through its Twitter account said it warned Kenya to pull its troops out of Somalia. However, the group has did not take responsibility for the attack. One witness who was embroiled in the situation claimed that the gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave and that only non-Muslims would be targeted when they opened fire at the upmarket mall of the Westlands district around midday. At least two dozen people, wounded and dead, were wheeled out on stretchers and in shopping trolleys by security guards, while others were seen walking out of the building, clutching bloodied clothing around their injuries. Locals and tourists who were out shopping on the sunny Saturday in Kenya ran screaming from the building and cars were left abandoned as attackers threw grenades and fired AK47s. Over the course of an hour people streamed from the building, at least half a dozen covered in blood and clutching small children to them. The Kenya Red Cross Society now says that 25 have been reported dead and at least 50 wounded. At least nine people were carried out of the building bleeding from wounds to their limbs and two others were wheeled unconscious from the scene in shopping trolleys. A young boy is believed to have been among those killed. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...70_964x624.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...86_964x670.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...70_964x639.jpg Hunt: Armed police search customers taking cover inside a bathroom at the shopping centre http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...50_964x642.jpg Gunfight: Police are still trying to escort people away from the site where fighting continues http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...72_964x550.jpg Hostages: Police say armed men are still in the building and are holding prisoners http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...65_964x638.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...74_964x632.jpg Deadly: Armed police search Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi for the last remaining gunmen http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_964x628.jpg Search: Police scour the centre with guns to try and locate the terrorists still holding hostages http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_964x631.jpg Shattered glass: A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre where gunmen went on a shooting spree in Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...62_964x659.jpg Shootout: Soldiers and armed police fire at the suspected terrorists as they try to wrest back control of the shopping centre http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...13_964x638.jpg Special forces: The army and elite squads have now been drafted in to help police flush out the gunmen http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...18_964x620.jpg Shootout: A police officer takes up position at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...1_964x1296.jpg Rescue: A policeman carries a baby to safety on the barrel of his gun while a woman ducks for safety behind him http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...21_964x714.jpg Stand-off: Soldiers are still searching in and around the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi after the supposed terrorist attack At a news conference, Internal Security Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo said 'terrorists and threats have been present in Kenya for quite some time now'. The army, including special forces, have now been drafted in to help police flush out the gunmen. Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Guled said: 'The casualties are many, and that's only what we have on the outside. Inside there are even more casualties and shooting is still going on.' There were unconfirmed reports of two large explosions, with several smaller explosions. Two people were reportedly injured on the road. 'We have officers at the scene trying to get out the group shooting inside. They have not been located,' a senior police official said. 'Officers are approaching the situation with caution because there are innocent civilians inside,' he said. Armed police arrived on the scene nearly half an hour later and could be heard shouting 'get out, get out' as scores of shoppers fled the building.Smoke billowed out of the entrance, which was believed to have been caused by the grenade attack. Dutch embassy employee Rob Vandijk said he had been eating at a restaurant in the shopping mall when gunmen threw hand grenades inside the building. People began to scream and drop to the ground, he said, as machine gun fire rang out across the busy mall. Officials have not given the exact death toll as police and gunmen are continuing to exchange fire, but reporters said they had seen at least 15 bodies. Police say that attackers are holding seven hostages in the building, and other people remain hidden inside. 'I saw three of the attackers dressed in black and with covered faces and they were carrying heavy rifles,' said another witness. Kenyan soldiers were also deployed to take part in the operation to bring the shopping complex back under control. Police helicopters circled over the building as sporadic gunfire could be heard more than two hours after the attack was launched. Police cordoned off the roads surrounding the mall in central Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood. Manish Turohit, 18, who escaped after hiding in the parking garage for two hours, says he saw gunmen with AK-47s and vests with hand grenades on them inside the centre. Police initially believed the attack was an attempt by about ten armed men to rob a shop. But Elijah Kamau, a witness, told AP that the gunmen had announced that they were targeting non-Muslims as they began their attack at the centre. Some of those who escaped were 'challenged to recite a Muslim prayer and were then let out', according to Allan Sayers, who contacted MailOnline and said he was in the Westgate mall five minutes before the attack. Mr Sayers said people were still in text and phone contact with some of the hostages. 'There are still many hostages still inside and reports of many more dead,' he said. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_964x637.jpg Wounded: A security officer helps an injured woman away from the building http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...77_964x711.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...77_964x683.jpg Injured: A security officer talks to his colleagues shortly after being helped from the scene having been wounded http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...28_964x643.jpg Critical: A victim is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi for emergency treatment http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...77_964x641.jpg Rescue: A woman is shipped to an ambulance in a shopping trolley by centre staff http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...73_964x639.jpg Devastating: Injured people receive assistance from bypassers at the scene of the shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...28_964x662.jpg Family mall: Customers who had planned a Saturday of shopping were forced to run following a shootout between unidentified armed men and the police http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_964x641.jpg Emergency: A Red Cross assistant helps a child outside who was among those caught in the shooting Now Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue has said it was a terrorist attack and the Kenya Ministry of Interior has said the shooting may have been an 'attack by terrorists'. 'They don't seem like thugs, this is not a robbery incident,' said Yukeh Mannasseh who was on the top floor when the shooting started. 'It seems like an attack. The guards who saw them said they were shooting indiscriminately.' Somali's rebel group al-Shabab vowed in late 2011 to carry out a large-scale attack in Nairobi in retaliation for Kenya's sending of troops into Somalia to fight the Islamic insurgents. The Somali militant group al-Shabaab had earlier threatened to strike the mall, as it is a popular destination for the city’s expatriate community. However, no one has yet to claim responsibility for the assault. One victim said that he had been shot by a man who appeared to be Somali, while others noted the gunmen were speaking in a foreign language. 'The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. There are definitely many casualties,' Sudjar Singh, who works at the shopping centre, told AFP. 'I saw three of the attackers dressed in black and with covered faces and they were carrying heavy rifles,' said another witness. Errol Fernandes, a Kenyan businessman said: 'There were two guys – they came in from the car park on the roof. One had dreadlocks, he had an AK47 and was firing randomly. 'I just ran into the café kitchen and then we all hid in the refrigerator, until we were told to run out of the fire escape. 'I'm sure there must be many dead and injured.' 'The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. There are definitely many casualties,' Sudjar Singh, who works at the shopping centre, told AFP. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...72_964x715.jpg Escape: An injured man who managed to flee the attackers is treated by paramedics outside the shopping centre http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...8_964x1129.jpg Terrorist: Somali Islamist attacks are not uncommon in Kenya, although police have not confirmed the identity of the attackers http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...62_964x626.jpg Horror: Customers are evacuated from the shopping centre covered in blood http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...01_964x612.jpg Victim: Rescuers attempt to evacuate a man injured in a shootout http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...93_964x639.jpg Killings: At least 15 people are believed to be dead, although police have not confirmed a death toll http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_964x641.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_964x642.jpg Shock: Witnesses said a half dozen grenades went off along with volleys of gunfire that started at midday 'I saw three of the attackers dressed in black and with covered faces and they were carrying heavy rifles,' said another witness. Kenyan soldiers were also deployed to take part in the operation to bring the shopping complex back under control. Police helicopters circled over the building as sporadic gunfire could be heard more than two hours after the attack was launched. Police cordoned off the roads surrounding the mall in central Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood. Kenya’s interior minister said the mall shooting may be “an attack by terrorists.” "It is a possibility that it is an attack by terrorists, so we are treating the matter very seriously," Mutea Iringo, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Interior told Reuters. Asked if foreign security services were involved in the operation to flush out the attackers, he said, 'At this stage it has not become necessary yet.' The picture above prompted a woman to contact MailOnline, saying the woman with the two children is her sister-in-law. 'These aren't all nameless individuals, these are real people and don't me and my family know it today,' she said. 'What the picture doesn't show is the gun shot wound she has just come out of surgery for. 'Brave woman who I am so proud to call my family.' An AFPTV reporter said police and security guards were trying to secure a multi-screen cinema complex inside the mall where many had taken shelter. The reporter said she saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop on one of the upper floors of the building. A shop manager who managed to escape said it had appeared 'the shooters had taken control of all the mall'. Attacks by Somali Islamists in Kenya often involve gunmen armed with automatic weapons and grenades, with targets including bars, nightclubs and restaurants in various parts of the country. There was a suspected al-Shabaab attack which left five dead and three injured at a restaurant in the eastern city of Garissa in January, and in August last year one person was killed and six more were left injured in the Eastleigh area of Nairobi on the eve of a visit by Hillary Clinton, then the United States secretary of state. Last month 18 of the 19 US embassies and consulates across the Middle East and Africa were closed after a message between al Qaida officials about plans for a major terror attack was intercepted. The Foreign Office says it is 'urgently looking into' the incident and has echoed Kenyan police with warnings to Britons to avoid the area. Foreign Secretary William Hague said: 'We are in close contact with the Kenyan authorities on the ground in Kenya and at ministerial level in the United Kingdom. 'The prime consideration at present is the welfare of members of the public caught up in this incident.' Concerned British nationals are advised to monitor FCO travel advice and to contact 020 7008 0000. |
re: VIDEO:Military Charge>Terrorists-Attack Mall -More Dead & Injured
'You're a Very Bad Man':
Astonishing moment brave British boy, four, confronted Kenyan mall terrorist... who then gave him Mars bars and begged for his forgiveness http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_964x347.jpg UPDATED Elliot Prior, from Windsor, Berkshire, and his six-year-old sister Amelie (both pictured) were later seen grasping the chocolate bars next to a dead body. His mother, Amber, told of her family's terrifying escape from Al Shabaab terrorists who butchered 62 people in the Nairobi shopping centre. She hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh Kenya mall terrorists 'burnt victims' faces and cut off their hands to prevent identification' as witnesses claim woman hostage was sexually abused at gunpoint 'Like an abattoir': A Kenyan soldier prepares to enter the Westgate Mall, where miltants reportedly burnt the faces of their victims and cut off their hands to prevent them being identified
By Daily Mail UK, 24 September 2013 A four-year-old British boy caught up in the Kenya mall massacre showed astonishing bravery by confronting a marauding gunman who ended up begging for his forgiveness, it emerged today. Elliot Prior, from Windsor, Berkshire, told one of the terrorists that he was a 'very bad man' as he protected his mother, Amber, who had been shot in the leg, and six-year-old sister Amelie. Incredibly, the attacker took pity on the family and bizarrely handed the children Mars bars before telling them: 'Please forgive me, we are not monsters.' His story emerged as sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from inside the mall early today as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day. Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers, possibly as many as 13. Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed said 'two or three' Americans and one British woman were among those who attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...63_634x583.jpg Amazing courage: Four-year-old Elliot Prior and his sister Amelie hold Mars bars next to a dead body outside the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi after being given the chocolate by a gunman who spared their lives http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_634x509.jpg Horror: Their mother, Amber, walks past the body of a man as they escape the Westgate shopping centre His mother, Amber, told of her family’s terrifying escape from Al Shabaab terrorists who butchered 62 people in the Nairobi shopping centre. The film producer had been queuing to buy milk in Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Centre when the militants struck. She hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh. Elliot's uncle, Alex Coutts said; 'They had a lucky escape. The terrorists said if any of the kids were alive in the supermarket they could leave. 'Amber made the decision to stand up and say "yes".' 'Then Elliot started arguing with them and called them bad men. He was very brave.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_634x423.jpg Terrifying: Film producer Amber had been queuing to buy milk in a supermarket when the militants struck http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...48_634x904.jpg Lucky escape: Amber hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh After discovering the advertising producer was of French origin, the men began to plead with her and claimed that the Muslim faith ‘was not a bad one’. ‘He told me I had to change my religion to Islam and said “do you forgive us? Do you forgive us?’, the mother told The Independent. ‘Naturally, I was going to say whatever they wanted and they let us go’. Bizarrely, the terrorists handed the children Mars bars before they fled with two other children, including a 12-year-old boy who had at first refused to leave his dead mother. The fate of 20 others who had taken refuge under the meat counter is unknown. The family’s escape is particularly astonishing in light of the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children throughout the mall after Al Shabaab launched their assault on Saturday. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...53_634x451.jpg Ominous: A picture purportedly showing gunmen brandishing AK47s entering the mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...33_634x378.jpg Civilians running for cover in the shopping mall after the masked attackers opened fire http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_634x362.jpg Two children and a woman hide behind a bar inside the shopping mall in the hope they won't be found by the gunmen Early today, sporadic gunfire rang out from inside the mall as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left more than 60 people dead. 'Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them,' Kenyan police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter. Despite Kenyan government assurances of success, an explosion and gunfire could be heard coming from the mall at around 6.30am, followed by the sustained chatter of automatic weapons for about a minute almost three hours later, according to Associated Press reporters at the scene. Security forces carried a body out of the mall, which remained on fire, with flames and smoke visible. A Kenyan soldier wearing bomb disposal protective gear also exited the building. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...94_634x497.jpg On patrol: Kenyan soldiers patrol near the Westgate mall, where sporadic gunfire continued to ring out early on Tuesday as the siege entered a fourth day http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...13_634x468.jpg Under control? Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...58_634x405.jpg 'Like an abattoir': A Kenyan soldier prepares to enter the Westgate Mall, where miltants reportedly burnt the faces of their victims and cut off their hands to prevent them being identified http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...24_634x418.jpg Horrific: It was reported that a woman had been sexually abused at gunpoint in front of young hostages While the government announced Sunday that 'most' hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers, described as 'a multinational collection from all over the world.' A spokesman for the Foreign Office told MailOnline they had not received confirmation that the siege had ended. Somalia's rebel group Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, posted an audio message on a pro-militant website late Monday that they were still in control of the building. 'Despite botched attempts by the Jews and Christians to recapture the mall today, the mujahideen are still in control of the Westgate,' al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in the message. 'The upper hand still remains theirs,' he said. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...17_634x516.jpg Regular updates: Tweets from an account purportedly representing the Al Shabaab terror group claimed on Tuesday that the gunmen were still holding their ground http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...89_634x419.jpg Drama: A television reporter makes a telephone call while filming during a bout of heavy gunfire shortly after dawn on Tuesday at the Westgate centre Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed said up to three Americans and one British woman were among the terrorists. Britain's foreign office said it was aware of the foreign minister's remarks, but would not confirm if a British woman was involved. The attacker from Britain was a woman who has 'done this many times before,' Mohamed said which lends weight to speculation that the so-called 'White Widow' Samantha Lewhwaite may have taken part in the raid. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said there had been six British deaths and the number could rise. An artistic director from Leicester said four of his relatives were killed as they took part in a television programme called Masterchef Junior. Samir Bhamra told The Times: 'They were young people... unfortunately they have all passed away. It's a very difficult time.' Meanwhile, a British woman told how she crawled to safety with her seven-month-old baby in her arms after masked gunmen stormed a cafe. Bethan Rayner, 35, who grabbed daughter Hani during a break in the gunfire, told The Sun: 'It was terrifying. We are still in shock.' U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the department had 'no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities' of the attackers. The security expert, who insisted on anonymity to talk freely about the situation, said many hostages had been freed or escaped in the previous 24-36 hours, including some who were in hiding. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_634x472.jpg Scouring the area: Kenyan security personnel patrol near the Westgate mall in Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...29_634x418.jpg Heavy response: A Kenya Defence Forces armoured military vehicle drives to the Westgate shopping centre after an exchange of gunfire inside the mall early on Tuesday However, there were at least 30 hostages when the assault by al-Shabab militants began Saturday, he said, and 'it's clear' that Kenyan security officials 'haven't cleared the building fully.' Kenyan government spokesman Manoah Esipisu said the country's president would make an address to the nation later in the day but said he could give no immediate details on the operation. Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighborhood. The smoke was pouring through a large skylight inside the mall's main department and grocery store, where mattresses and other flammable goods appeared to have been set on fire, a person with knowledge of the rescue operation told The Associated Press. The explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire as police helicopters and a military jet circled overhead, giving the neighborhood the feel of a war zone. An armored personnel carrier sat in front of the building. By Monday evening, Kenyan security officials said they had claimed the upper hand. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...20_634x402.jpg People run for cover after hearing gunshots near the Westgate shopping mall, as the three-day siege drew to an end http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...95_634x392.jpg Smoke rises from the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi following a string of explosions during the third day of a stand-off between Kenyan security forces and gunmen inside the building Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages had gone 'very, very well' and that Kenyan officials were 'very certain' that few if any hostages were left in the building. But with the mall cordoned off and under heavy security it was not possible to independently verify the assertions. Similar claims of a quick resolution were made by Kenyan officials on Sunday and the siege continued. Authorities have also not provided any details on how many hostages were freed or how many still remain captive. Three attackers were killed in the fighting Monday, Kenyan authorities said, and more than 10 suspects arrested. Eleven Kenyan soldiers were wounded in the running gun battles. An Al Shabaab spokesman, Rage, said in the audio file that the attackers had been ordered to 'take punitive action against the hostages' if force was used to try to rescue them. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...81_634x380.jpg Volunteers run for cover after hearing a volley of gunshots at the scene of the siege Footage shows shoppers fleeing attack inside Nairobi mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...-6_638x372.jpg A Western security official in Nairobi who insisted on not being named to share information about the rescue operation said the only reason the siege hadn't yet ended would be because hostages were still inside. Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to take, the official said. 'They are not made for storming,' he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. 'They're made to be unstormable.' The massacre began on Saturday shortly before midday local time. Witnesses told how terrorists with faces hidden by Islamic scarves stormed the building, tossing grenades and spraying shoppers with AK-47s. Yesterday pictures emerged online that appeared to show the moment gunmen entered the shopping centre, pointing their weapons at terrified civilians. The killers, who were dressed in Western clothes, ordered all Muslims to leave, before carrying out rudimentary tests to see if hostages could recite the Koran and name the mother of the Prophet Mohammed. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...32_634x450.jpg Military forces take position inside a shopping mall following the attack by masked gunmen in Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...19_634x749.jpg Sporadic gun shots could be heard hours after the assault started as soldiers surrounded the mall and police and soldiers combed the building http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_634x418.jpg People help a wounded man outside the Westgate shopping mall, as 69 people were slaughtered by the terrorists Her son, 12, and daughter, 8, were injured as gunmen opened fire. She said adults ‘were like animals, climbing over the children to get out’. A Twitter account representing the terrorists', Al Shabaab, the group claiming responsibility for the attack, said it was carried out by terrorists from seven nations, including Britain, the US and Canada. The group has recently split into two factions following bloody infighting. Those not involved in the Nairobi attack are said to be spreading false information, raising questions over the veracity of initial reports that Londoners Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, and Liban Adam, 23, are among the gunmen. Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi, said fighters from several countries had participated in the attack, but would not specify which ones. ‘We have an idea who they are, their nationality and even the number,’ he said, adding that the militants were ‘clearly a multinational collection from all over the world’. ‘We have also have an idea that this is not a local event,’ he said. ‘We are fighting global terrorism here and we have sufficient [intelligence] to suggest that.’ At least three of the terrorists were killed, he added, after Kenyan forces moved into the five-storey complex, which was filled with some 1,200 people when it was stormed by three heavily armed groups on Saturday. Kenyans were last night bracing themselves for further terror attacks after it was claimed dozens more militants from the organisation had bribed their way into the country. A spokesman for Al Shabaab said all Britons in Kenya are ‘legitimate’ targets because the UK has supported the African country’s military intervention in neighbouring Somalia. Yesterday David Cameron returned early from Balmoral, where he had been staying with the Queen, to chair an emergency Cobra meeting with Cabinet colleagues including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor George Osborne and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...60_634x422.jpg Horror: Shoppers hurry down an escalator with their hands in the air as they make their way out of the shopping centre to safety http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...97_634x411.jpg Safety: Shoppers and shop assistants raise their hands as they are escorted out by armed police http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...20_634x422.jpg Terrified: A young girl in tears is led away form the terror by a police officer One security officer said the mall had been turned into ‘an abattoir’ within half an hour, as gunmen went on the rampage. Militants have reportedly burned their victims’ faces and removed their hands in an attempt to conceal their identities; the bodies were piled against the main door to slow the progress of rescue teams. Yesterday reports emerged online that an injured woman trapped inside had been sexually abused at gunpoint in front of young hostages. It is believed that she has been shot in the shoulder, while her child has been killed. Details of the incident were posted hundreds of times on Facebook. The woman is said to have been able to speak several times with her husband, who is outside the shopping centre – but last night he had heard nothing from her for several hours. Another witness, Kamille Kaur, was with several dozen children for a cookery competition on the mall’s second floor when the attack began. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_634x423.jpg Wounded: A security officer helps an injured woman away from the building http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...13_634x422.jpg Help: A man carries a boy away from the scene of the carnage earlier today http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_634x423.jpg Killings: The fate of the hostages remained unclear this morning despite earlier statements from police saying most of those held had been rescued http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_634x404.jpg Victim: Rescuers attempt to evacuate a man injured in the shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...71_634x415.jpg Desperation: An injured woman, whose face and clothes are drenched in blood, lies on the ground outside the shopping mall screaming for help FROM PERU TO INDIA, THE MALL VICTIMS CAME FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE BRITAIN http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...34_306x423.jpg Died together: British architect Ross Langdon, 33, and his pregnant girlfriend Elif Yavuz who were killed in the Kenyan shopping mall massacre British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said six British deaths occurred and the number could rise. They include architect Ross Langdon (pictured, right, with his Dutch-born pregnant girlfriend, Elif Yavuz, who was also killed) and Zahira Bawa and her eight-year-old daughter Jenah, from Leamington Spa in central England, a relative told Britain's Press Association news agency. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_624x468.jpg Distraught: Father Louis Bawa (left) is seen with his nine-year-old daughter Jennah (right). She has been confirmed as one of the British victims in the Kenya terrorist attack, in which her mother also died --- CANADA Annemarie Desloges, a border services liaison officer in Canada's High Commission to Kenya, 'was one of our bright young lights, and hers was a career brimming with promise,' said Tim Edwards, president of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. She was a 29-year-old from a 'foreign service family' and had accompanied her parents on overseas postings before deciding to follow in their footsteps in 2006. Vancouver businessman Naguib Damji also died in the attack, a daughter and niece confirmed to various media. Two sisters from Toronto, 17-year-old Fardosa Abdi and 16-year-old Dheeman Abdi, were seriously injured. Their aunt Hodan Hassan said from her home in Minnesota that Fardosa was in critical condition with severe leg injuries. --- CHINA A 38-year-old Chinese woman with the surname Zhou who worked in the real estate industry was killed, state media said. Her son was injured in the attack and was in stable condition in a hospital, according to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya. --- FRANCE Two French victims of the Nairobi terrorists were named last night as Corinne Dechauffour, 54 and her daughter Anne who was 27. The murder of the two women who were from Nice on the French Riviera caused outrage in the southern city and in the rest of France. The victims were gunned down in the car park of the Westgate Mall just after they had parked their car. GHANA Kofi Awoonor was a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations. Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment. Awoonor's work drew its inspiration from the traditions of his native Ewe tribe. Ghana's poetry foundation said on its website that Awoonor went into exile after Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was driven out in a coup in 1966. He studied at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his dissertation was published in 1975. He returned to Ghana and was later jailed for alleged involvement coup plot. His time in prison was recounted in The House by the Sea (1978), the foundation said. --- INDIA Three Indians were killed in the attack, including an 8-year-old boy, Paramshu Jain, whose father is manager of a Nairobi branch of an Indian bank. The child's mother, Mukta Jain, is among four Indians who were injured. The others confirmed dead by the Indian External Affairs Ministry are Sridhar Natarajan, a 40-year-old from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, and Sudharshan B. Nagaraj, of the southern city of Bangalore. --- KENYA Ruhila Adatia-Sood was a popular radio and TV personality in Kenya and her husband worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Nairobi. She was expecting a child. Mitul Shah was president of the Bidco United football team in Kenya, Football Kenya spokesman John Kaniuki said. Shah worked for the Bidco cooking oil company and was reportedly attending a promotional cooking event with children at the mall. President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew and nephew's fiancee were also among the dead. --- THE NETHERLANDS Elif Yavuz was a senior vaccines researcher for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, according to a statement from the Clinton family. 'Elif was brilliant, dedicated, and deeply admired by her colleagues, who will miss her terribly,' the Clintons said. She had completed her dissertation research on malaria in eastern Africa and graduated this year from Harvard University's Department of Global Health and Population, the school said. Yavuz, 33, was Langdon's partner and was expecting their first child in early October. --- NEW ZEALAND Andrew McLaren, 34, a New Zealander who managed a factory in Kenya for the avocado oil company Olivado, was wounded in the attack, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. He was hospitalized in stable condition. ---- PERU Juan Ortiz-Iruri was a retired tropical disease specialist for UNICEF who had lived for 25 years in Africa, according to UNICEF and Peruvian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Neyra. His son, Ricardo Ortiz, told Radio RPP that Ortiz-Iruri entered the mall accompanied by his daughter, a 13-year-old born in the U.S. She suffered a hand injury, but is out of danger. --- SOUTH AFRICA One South African citizen was killed, according to the country's International Relations Department. --- SOUTH KOREA South Korea's Foreign Ministry said one South Korean woman was among the dead. It provided no further details. --- SWITZERLAND One Swiss citizen was injured, but the embassy would not provide further the victim's name. --- UNITED STATES Five American citizens were injured, U.S. officials said. continued...... |
Re: VIDEO:Military Charge>Terrorists-Attack Mall -More Dead & Injured
British Hero of the Mall Massacre:
How ex-Royal Marine with a Handgun saved 100 Lives as Terrorists ran Amok with AK47s http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...86_154x115.jpg The former soldier was having coffee at the Westgate mall when it was attacked by Islamists on Saturday. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...56_634x415.jpg Our saviour: The soldier helps two women to safety. His identity has been protected for security reasons
A former marine emerged as a hero of the Nairobi siege yesterday after he was credited with saving up to 100 lives. The ex soldier was having coffee at the Westgate mall when it was attacked by Islamists on Saturday. With a gun tucked into his waistband, he was pictured helping two women from the complex. His story emerged as sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from inside the mall early today as Kenyan security forces battled Al Qaeda-linked terrorists into a fourth day. Despite Kenyan police assurances that they had taken control of the building, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 hostages were still being held by a band of attackers, possibly as many as 13. The former soldier is said to have returned to the building on a dozen occasions, despite intense gunfire. A friend in Nairobi said: ‘What he did was so heroic. He was having coffee with friends when it happened. ‘He went back in 12 times and saved 100 people. Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.’ Sources said the soldier was in the Royal Marines and now lives in Kenyan. He cannot be named for security reasons. The British military regularly train and operate out of Kenya, and have been involved in tracking UK citizens involved with hardline Islamists in Somalia and Yemen. Former members work with both the UK and Kenyan governments and security firms across East Africa. continued...... |
Re: VIDEO:Military Charge>Terrorists-Attack Mall -More Dead & Injured
Has British White Widow been Killed in Final Assault on Kenyan Shopping Mall? -Body of White Woman Terrorist is Found at Scene
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_154x115.jpg As attempts to flush the remaining militants out of a shopping centre continued, officials said three Islamist extremists had died during attempts to free hostages.
'White widow' Samantha Lewthwaite may have been killed during the Nairobi siege. As attempts to flush the remaining militants out of a Kenyan shopping centre continued, officials said three Islamist extremists had died during attempts to free their hostages. Insiders said one was a white woman – adding weight to the theory that Lewthwaite, the fugitive widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was behind the attack that has left 62 dead and 170 injured. Part of the group that carried out the attack on the mall was formed by US citizens, according to Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_964x653.jpg 'White widow': Weight has been added to the theory that Samantha Lewthwaite, the fugitive widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was behind the attack http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...93_470x674.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...93_470x674.jpg A dead white woman has been found among Islamic terrorists killed by soldiers as they stormed the mall where 62 shoppers were slaughtered this weekend, Kenyan officials said. It will fuel speculation the dead woman is Samantha Lewthwaite (left and right), widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, wanted on terror charges http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...02_964x707.jpg Police will also investigate the possibility that she is a hostage dressed in one of the terrorist's clothes. Asked if it was Lewthwaite, dubbed the 'White Widow', an intelligence officer said: 'We don't know' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_964x731.jpg Lewthwaite, 29, was married to Jermaine Lindsay, the suicide bomber who blew up a Tube train at King?s Cross in 2005 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_964x638.jpg Operation: Kenyan soldiers take cover after heavy gunfire near the Westgate mall in Nairobi. Defence troops remain inside the mall, in a standoff with Somali militants U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday the department had 'no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities' of the attackers. Downing Street said at least six of the dead are British and warned there was ‘potential for further bad news’. THE 'WHITE WIDOW' OF A COLD BLOODED KILLER Samantha Lewthwaite converted to Islam as a young woman and married a man who went on to be a 7/7 London suicide bomber. She has become a key figure in the terror group behind this weekend’s attack. Lewthwaite has even been involved in training a group of all-female suicide attackers at camps in lawless neighbouring the 29-year-old, who grew up as a normal teenager in Aylesbury before meeting Jermaine Lindsay, a British Muslim, in an online chat room when she was 17. The pair married three years later. When her husband was named as one of four suicide bombers who blew up Tube trains and a bus in 2005, killing 52 people, Lewthwaite initially condemned her late husband’s attack and denied any knowledge of his plan. This was a lie. More than eight years later, Lewthwaite is one of Al Qaeda’s main recruiters in East Africa and is an official spokesman for Al Shabaab (The People), the terrorist group behind the horror in Nairobi. The so-called ‘White Widow’, who is the world’s most wanted woman, has been on the run in East Africa after police foiled a Christmas bomb plot against Western tourists in the coastal resort of Mombasa in 2011. A report from the Reuters news agency said three sources – one intelligence officer and two soldiers – had confirmed that a white woman was among the fallen terrorists. Police are exploring whether she could be a hostage dressed in one of the terrorist’s clothes, but the Foreign Office is also examining Muslim convert Lewthwaite’s links to the massacre. The 29-year-old mother of four, from the Home Counties, is now a leading figure in Al Shabaab – the terror group that has claimed responsibility for the killings in the Israeli-owned Westgate shopping centre. Police believe she is the one of the group’s main financiers and bomb-making tutors. However, sources admit they still do not know the full extent of her involvement in the attack in Nairobi. Nevertheless, a senior Kenyan anti-terror officer yesterday claimed: ‘We believe she was commanding the operation but her fate is not yet known. It is understood she was a sniper also.’ The Mail revealed yesterday that soldiers say they saw a white woman in a veil shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic, while a Twitter account purporting to represent Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the atrocity and praised Lewthwaite, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, as ‘a brave lady’. Despite this, Kenya’s interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said that all of the terrorists were men, with some dressed as women. Lewthwaite has been on the run in East Africa since police foiled her plot to blow up a shopping centre in another Kenyan city, Mombasa, two years go. Her London-born accomplice, Jermaine Grant, was due to stand trial yesterday, but his hearing was delayed so that terror officers preparing to give evidence could instead be diverted to Nairobi, to assist officials there. Lewthwaite, whose family say they have not spoken to her in years, was seven months pregnant when Lindsay blew himself up on a Tube train in 2005, killing 26. She is known to her followers as ‘Dada Mzungu’ – Swahilli for white sister – and has occasionally taken to Twitter to rail against the ‘infidels of the West’. She is understood to have avoided arrest so far by wearing a full-face veil while flitting between Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. . http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...-4_964x580.jpg Paramedics run beside parked ambulances outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi after heavy shooting started for the third time since this morning http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_964x622.jpg A police helicopter hovers next to a plume of rising black smoke from the shopping mall as an assault team was continuing with a rescue operation at the Westgate shopping mall, where the hostage situation continues http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...30_470x450.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_470x450.jpg Distressing: A woman holds a baby sitting with other injured people who are crying for help http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...15_964x584.jpg People take cover after hearing gun shots near the centre. The start of the final assault was heralded by a series of loud blasts and a barrage of gunfire as a pall of thick black smoke began to rise over the mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...11_964x641.jpg Help: Relatives and friends of victims line up to donate blood in Nairobi, following the overwhelming numbers of casualties from the Westgate mall shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_964x699.jpg The Westgate Shopping Centre is on fire and a fierce gun battle is underway as Kenyan special forces try to end the three day siege that has killed at least 62 people http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...24_964x579.jpg Witnesses have reported hearing rapid gun fire at the shopping mall and Kenyan soldiers have been seen moving towards Westgate They joined two British Special Forces advisers and several MI6 agents based in East Africa, who are assisting local authorities in the huge security operation. Kenyan troops and police have, however, entered the shopping centre without help from outside forces. The monitoring of communications by members of the Somali-based Al Shabaab in and around the shopping centre are said to ‘indicate’ two of the killers spoke with ‘UK accents’. This would support information posted on Twitter, which suggested the terror cell was 15-strong, containing two Londoners. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...67_964x642.jpg A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall in Nairobi after a large explosion was followed by sustained shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...17_964x708.jpg Security forces say they have evacuated almost all the hostages from the shopping centre, which was on fire earlier on Monday Explosions and then black smoke rises from besieged mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...12_636x358.jpg ........ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_470x558.jpg ...... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...73_472x558.jpg A Kenyan minister claimed the heavy black smoke billowing from the shopping mall on Monday was caused by burned mattresses http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...26_964x736.jpg The area around the mall was teeming with Kenyan soldiers and armoured personnel carriers, as emergency workers and reporters were told to take cover http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_964x641.jpg Kenyan police said they have rescued some hostages after storming the mall and said they are 'increasingly gaining advantage [over] the attackers' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...46_964x598.jpg Police officers take cover following a string of explosions and fierce gun fire on Monday - the third day of the siege http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...89_964x656.jpg Militants inside Westgate Shopping Centre have threatened to kill the remaining hostages as Kenyan security personnel try to end the siege (pictured) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...98_964x642.jpg Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall. Islamist terror group Al Shabaab claimed it carried out the atrocity in which four Britons were killed and 175 people were left injured http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...74_964x629.jpg Kenyan military said last night that 'most' of the hostages have been freed, but a spokesman admitted today that the situation is still not clear http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...69_964x643.jpg Militants inside the shopping centre said hostages would 'bear the brunt' of any action by the Kenyan military http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...50_964x642.jpg Tense: Kenyan paramilitary officers walk towards a small shopping arcade adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the fate of the hostages remained unclear on Monday morning http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_964x610.jpg Hunting down the terrorists: Soldiers from the Kenya Defence Forces arrive at the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...41_470x711.jpg . |
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