Islamists claim gun attack on Nairobi mall, 39 dead (2)

English>>World

Editor's Pick

Islamists claim gun attack on Nairobi mall, 39 dead (2)

(Chinadaily.com.cn) 08:44, September 22, 2013

Email|Print|Comments

twitter

facebook

Sina Microblog

The body of a man lies on the ground outside the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Sept. 21, 2013. At least 20 people have been killed and more than 50 others wounded when masked gunmen stormed a popular shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and held shoppers hostages on Saturday. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)

GUNMAN DEAD

The Kenyan presidency said on its Twitter feed that one wounded gunman had been arrested, but had died in hospital.

William Hague, foreign secretary of Kenya's former colonial ruler Britain, said: "Such attacks will never weaken our resolve or the resolve of the people of Kenya to defeat terrorism."

Tiles at the mall were smeared with blood, bullet casings were strewn on the floor and shop windows were shattered. A policeman dragged the corpse of a young girl across the floor and laid her on a stretcher. Two policemen lay on the floor with guns trained on the supermarket entrance.

Some local television stations reported hostages had been taken, but there was no official confirmation.

Kenyan forces first entered Somalia two years ago to try to stem incursions by al Shabaab.

Al Shabaab, which Kenya blames for shootings, bombings and grenade attacks against churches and the security forces, had threatened before to strike Westgate, a mall popular with the city's expatriates, as well as other soft targets such as nightclubs and hotels known to be popular with Westerners.

One woman leaving the building told a journalist that one of the attackers had told all Muslims to leave the area. Survivors told Reuters at least one of the attackers was a woman.

Police helicopters circled above shortly after the initial assault as armed police shouted "Get out! Get out!" and scores of shoppers fled the sand-coloured stone building. Smoke poured from one entrance and witnesses said they heard grenade blasts.

Others said they saw about five assailants storm the mall.