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Monday 23 September 2013

BREAKING NEWS: Massacre mall ablaze after Islamic terrorists 'blow themselves up'. Fierce gunfire heard inside Kenyan shopping centre where militants were holding dozens of hostages

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Kenyan special forces were today locked in a fight to the death with Islamic terrorists who have been barricaded inside a Nairobi mall with up to 40 hostages since Saturday.
Witnesses described hearing four large explosions at the Westgate Shopping Centre followed by fierce gun fire after the military tried to break the three day siege by gaining access from the roof.
It is feared that some of the gunmen inside may have blown themselves up, though a Kenyan government minister said that militants had set fire to some mattresses in a supermarket as a decoy.
Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said that two of the terrorists had been killed and that most hostages were now free. All of the militants were men, he added, although some were dressed as women.
So far, 69 people have been confirmed dead including four Britons. At least 175 were injured, including children. 



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 69 people
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 69 people
Witnesses have reported hearing rapid gun fire at the shopping mall and Kenyan soldiers have been seen moving towards Westgate
Witnesses have reported hearing rapid gun fire at the shopping mall and Kenyan soldiers have been seen moving towards Westgate
A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall in Nairobi after a large explosion was followed by sustained shooting
A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall in Nairobi after a large explosion was followed by sustained shooting

Thick clouds of dense black smoke billowed from the complex after a series of loud explosions and heavy gunfire.
The area around the mall was teeming with Kenyan soldiers and armoured personnel carriers, as emergency workers and reporters were told to take cover.   
A top military official said he believes the attackers are 'a multinational collection from all over the world.'
Kenya Chief of Defence forces General Julius Karangi said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by Al Shabaab, a Somali group allies with al-Qaida. 
'We have an idea who they are, their nationality and even the number.  We are fighting global terrorism here and we have sufficient intel (intelligence) to suggest that.'
A Twitter account claiming to represent Al Shabaab yesterday claimed that terrorists from seven nations are involved in the attack, including the U.S., Britain and Canada. 
The HSM Press Office account, which has been suspended twice, claimed the group were Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, from London, UK; Gen Mustafe Noorduiin, 27, from Kansas City, U.S., Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid, 24, from Minneapolis, U.S., and Ahmed Mohamad Isse, 22, from Saint Paul, U.S; Ismael Guled, 23, from Finland; Abdirizak Mouled, 24, from Ontario, Canada; and Zaki Jama Caraale, 20, and Sayid Nuh, 25, both from Somalia. 
Police chief David Kimaiyo said today that some hostages have been freed. However, a group claiming to represent the Al Shabaab terrorists said they are still fighting inside the building. 
In a message on Twitter Mr Kimaiyo wrote: 'Thumbs up to our multi-agency team, we have just managed to rescue some hostages. We're increasingly gaining advantage of the attackers.'
The HSM Press Office account, which has been suspended twice and claims to have contact with the terrorists inside, wrote today: 'They’ve obtained large amounts of ammunition and are, by the blessings of Allah alone, still firm and still dominating the show #Westgate.'
A Kenyan minister claimed the heavy black smoke billowing from the shopping mall on Monday was caused by burned mattresses
A Kenyan minister claimed the heavy black smoke billowing from the shopping mall on Monday was caused by burned mattresses 
The area around the mall was teeming with Kenyan soldiers and armoured personnel carriers
The area around the mall was teeming with Kenyan soldiers and armoured personnel carriers, as emergency workers and reporters were told to take cover
police chief David Kimaiyo said in a message on Twitter on the third day of the standoff.
Kenyan police said they have rescued some hostages after storming the mall and said they are 'increasingly gaining advantage [over] the attackers'
Ross Langdon, 33, was killed alongside his heavily pregnant Dutch partner Elif Yavuz
Ross Langdon, 33, was killed alongside his heavily pregnant Dutch partner Elif Yavuz

In other messages posted today, the group said the Westgate atrocity was 'borne out of injustice' and Kenyan security forces will be 'exterminated' if they try to enter the mall through the roof. 
A Kenyan special forces officer said troops had moved in to end the siege with force.
'I saw them only once, I could not see them much," he said. 'It was hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek, hide-and-seek. In the end we had to use full force, we had to finish with these guys.'
This morning it emerged that a British man had lost his wife and daughter in the massacre while a prize winning architect, who had joint British and Australian nationality was also among the dead.  
The Foreign Office confirmed today that four Britons have now been killed in the atrocity.
Ross Langdon, 33,  was killed alongside his heavily pregnant Dutch partner Elif Yavuz. The malaria specialist was just two weeks away from giving birth.
Kenyan troops have moved in to end the siege but spokesman for terror group Al Shabaab Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement posted on an Islamist website that those held inside will 'bear the brunt of any force' used by soldiers against the militants.
The statement read: 'We authorise the mujahedeen inside the building to take actions against the prisoners as much as they are pressed. 
'We are telling Christians advancing onto the mujahedeen to have mercy for their prisoners who will bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen.'
The Al-Qaeda linked group claimed to be in contact with the fighters inside the mall and said the gunmen were battling both Kenyan and Israeli forces.  
As the stand-off entered its third day, sustained bursts of rapid gunfire erupted at dawn and lasted 15 minutes, and soldiers posted around the complex ducked for cover.
This was followed by three big explosions, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
The Shebab have not said how many people were being held by the dozen-or-so attackers, who marched into the Israeli-owned four-storey complex at midday Saturday, spraying shoppers with machine gunfire and tossing grenades.
One security officer said within half-an-hour of the attack the mall had been turned into 'an abattoir' as gunmen wearing Islamic scarves but Western clothes went on the rampage. 
At least 69 people have been killed so far - including three Britons - and 175 people have been left injured. 
Those caught up in the atrocity come from 13 different countries including the U.S., France, Ghana, New Zealand and Holland. 
Today, tributes began to pour in to Mr Langdon, 33, who was the founding director of the architecture firm Regional Associates, and his partner on social media sites. 
Sydney architect Marcus Trimble wrote: 'Horrible news that Ross Langdon and his wife were killed in the Nairobi attacks.
Designer Liane Rossler said the couple were 'very special souls'.
Police officers take cover following a string of explosions and fierce gun fire on Monday - the third day of the siege
Police officers take cover following a string of explosions and fierce gun fire on Monday - the third day of the siege
Militants inside Westgate Shopping Centre have threatened to kill the remaining hostages as Kenyan security personnel try to end the siege (pictured)
Militants inside Westgate Shopping Centre have threatened to kill the remaining hostages as Kenyan security personnel try to end the siege (pictured)
Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall.

Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall. Islamist terror group Al Shabaab claimed it carried out the atrocity in which three Britons were killed and 175 people were left injured
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
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
Militants inside the shopping centre said hostages would 'bear the brunt' of any action by the Kenyan military
Militants inside the shopping centre said hostages would 'bear the brunt' of any action by the Kenyan military
Terror link: Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, originally from Buckinghamshire, was described as a 'brave lady' by Islamist terror group Al Shabaab
Terror link: Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, originally from Buckinghamshire, was described as a 'brave lady' by Islamist terror group Al Shabaab
Australian media said Mr Langdon grew up in Tasmania and worked around the world, including in Uganda and Rwanda. 
In 2010, Mr Langdon received the University of Sydney's Young Alumni Award in recognition of his pursuit of excellence in the field of architecture on projects located across Australia, Europe and Africa. 
Mr Langdon had been involved with a number of projects across Africa, which included designing an HIV-Aids hospital in Kenya free of charge.
He could be seen photographed with Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, in a picture posted on his Facebook profile earlier this year.
Harvard graduate Ms Yavuz was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time of her death.
The malaria specialist was working in Kenya for the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation run by the billionaire Microsoft founder. 
On her Facebook profile she was photographer shaking hands with former US President Bill Clinton during a visit to a Gates Foundation project last month.
Born in Holland, Ms Yavuz had lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while studying at the reknowned Harvard University. 
The three other Britons killed in the atrocity have yet to be named. 
One man, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Telegraph that his wife and children had been murdered and he has seen photographs of their bodies, which were taken by soldiers and paramedics inside the building.
It is believed that one of the leaders of the attack is the white English widow of a 7/7 bomber. 
Al Shabaab said on Twitter last night that Samantha Lewthwaite, the 'white widow' of London bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was 'in their ranks' and a 'brave lady'. 
Soldiers said a white woman wearing a veil was shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic during the bloody massacre inside the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
The Foreign Office is investigating the claims about Lewthwaite, who is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terrorist cell planning bomb attacks.

'WE ONLY WANT TO KILL KENYANS AND AMERICANS': EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE OF FRENCH FAMILY

A French woman said she was freed by the Islamic terrorists because they told her they only wanted to kill Kenyans and Americans.
The woman, who only gave her name as Pauline, said she escaped with her two young children, who were given Mars bars by the gunmen.
Pauline said she was asked for forgiveness by the terrorists who told her 'we are not monsters'.
The mother of two, who was in the supermarket when the attack began, said once she agreed Muslims were not 'bad people' they gave her children, Emily, 6, and Eliot, 4, chocolate.
She told The Independent: 'He said we only only want to kill Kenyans and Americans. He then told me I had to change my religion to Islam and said "do you forgive us? do you forgive us?'
She said she was able to escape with another two children, including a wounded 12-year-old boy whose mother had been murdered.

Terrified children wait by the body of a man after escaping from the shopping centre. Militants have today threatened to kill the remaining hostages
Terrified children wait by the body of a man after escaping from the shopping centre. Militants have today threatened to kill the remaining hostages

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