Gunmen storm Nairobi Mall, at least 20 killed

[apples]

(Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a shopping mall in Nairobi on Saturday killing at least 20 people in what Kenya's government said could be a terrorist attack, and sending scores fleeing into shops, a cinema and onto the streets in search of safety.

Sporadic gun shots could be heard hours after the assault started as soldiers surrounded the mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting down the attackers shop by shop. Some local television stations reported hostages had been taken, but there was no official confirmation.

The Somali militant group al Shabaab, which Kenya blames for shootings, bombings and grenade attacks against churches and the security forces, had threatened before to strike the Westgate mall, popular with the city's expatriate community. The chain of attacks follows action by Kenyan forces against al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia two years ago.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/21/us-kenya-attack-idUSBRE98K03V20130921

Kenya Red Cross: 22 dead in upscale mall attack

"The gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave. They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted," he said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_KENYA_MALL_ATTACK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-21-08-48-19

Same types the White House backs all the time. Just like the 'rebels' in Syria types.

[apples]

'All Muslims leave... we only want to kill non-Muslims': Gunmen massacre at least 22 in Kenyan shopping mall after releasing anyone who could prove they were Islamic by reciting a prayer

Security guards wheel out bodies in shopping trolleys from Westlands Shopping Centre
Hostages are being held by at least five attackers still in building
Upmarket mall is a favourite 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 22 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

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2427892/Nairobi-mall-Gunmen-massacred-22-Kenyan-shopping-centre-targeted-non-Islamics.html#ixzz2fXQdi9mV

[apples]

Terror gang? behind Kenya mall attack: police sources

NAIROBI, Sep 21 ? A well-organised ?terror gang? is believed to be behind an armed assault on a Nairobi shopping mall, senior police sources told AFP, adding they had also detained one wounded suspect.

?This cannot be a normal robbery because all the survivors are saying how the group confronted them and opened fire,? a senior police official told AFP on condition he remained anonymous.

?We have reports there were up to 10 or so attackers and they appeared to be wearing a similar outfit, and others covered their faces,? another police official said.

?The pattern of the attack and the way they were speaking to their targets clearly point to a well-planned attack by a terror gang,? he said.

However, Interior Minister Joseph ole Lenku said it was still too early to say who was responsible for the attack.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/09/terror-gang-behind-kenya-mall-attack-police-sources/

[apples]

BREAKING NEWS: 26 dead, 50 injured in Westgate mall attack

At least 26 people have been killed or sucumbed to injuries following the shooting at the Westgate Shopping mall in Nairobi's Westlands area. This is according to the Kenya Red Cross service that provided emergency response services.

Red Cross also say that a further 50 people have been admitted to various hospitals with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to fractures and cuts. The hospitals receiving patients are Aga Khan, MP Shah, Nairobi Hospital and the Kenyatta National Hospital.

A combined contingent of the General Service Unit, the Kenya Defence Forces among other security agencies are currently conducting an evacuation exercise at the Westgate shopping complex, but have said that they will not take chances and are thoroughly screening those rescued.

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-136766/breaking-news-26-dead-50-injured-westgate-mall-attack

[apples]

Kenya Westgate mall hostage standoff continues; 59 dead so far, minister says

NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenyan military forces engaged in sporadic gun battles Sunday with the Islamic extremists holding an unknown number of hostages inside an upscale Nairobi mall, as officials said the death toll from a grenade-and-gunfire siege a day earlier rose to 59, with at least 175 wounded.


The hostage crisis passed the 24-hour mark and fears rose of a protracted standoff with terrorists using hostages as pawns. Kenyan security forces were seen entering Westgate Mall with at least two rocket-propelled grenades, heavy weaponry for a potential indoor battle with hostages present.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57604047/kenya-westgate-mall-hostage-standoff-continues-59-dead-so-far-minister-says/

[apples]

Report: Israelis join Kenyan effort to rescue hostages from terrorists

The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of the report.

Reuters quoted an Israeli security source as saying Israeli advisers were helping Kenya with "negotiating strategy" to help end the siege.

"There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation," said the source, who gave no further details and asked not to be identified.

The source said only a "handful" of Israelis, "purely in an advisory role", were on scene at the upscale Westgate shopping center, which has several Israeli-owned outlets and is frequented by expatriates and Kenyans.

An Israeli source in Nairobi said all Israelis who were in the mall at the time of the attack had made it out safely, with the last three rescued overnight.

http://www.jpost.com/International/Report-Israeli-forces-join-Kenyan-effort-to-rescue-hostages-from-terrorists-326758

[apples]

MASSACRE AT THE MALL: TIMELINE OF THE TERRORIST ATTACK

The timeline is on Kenyan time, seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Saturday, 12.30pm: Terrorists storm the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, an upmarket shopping center, through the front entrance.

Initially, shoppers believe the attack to be a robbery.  Reports of grenade explosions

12.45pm: Up to 15 gun-wielding suspects swarm the mall as terrified shoppers run for their lives and others shelter in closets, refrigerators and back hallways.

1pm: Kenyan security forces launch an assault on the mall to flush out the gunman

3pm: The first bodies are removed from the mall including those who were shot dead at lunch tables and a couple lying in a final embrace.

4pm: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says he has lost several family members before vowing that terrorists would be defeated.

Among the 39 being reported dead are the wife of an American diplomat along with Canadian and Ghanian diplomats.

9pm: al Shabaab, a Somali-militant group with links to al Qaeda, claim responsibility for the attack.

2am: Five hostages are released. Up to 15 remain inside while their relatives hold a vigil at a Red Cross center nearby

11am: Bursts of gunfire from the building as Kenyan security forces close in. Israeli troops brought in for support

Sunday 2pm: 59 people dead; with 175 injured and 15 hostages still trapped

[apples]

American diplomat's wife killed in Kenya mall massacre: At least 59 dead and 175 injured at the hands of Al-Qaeda linked terrorists as troops attempt to end bloody siege on second day of violence

Kenyan security forces are locked in a stand-off with the terrorists 24 hours after the gang began shooting
Canadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges, 29, and pregnant Kenyan radio journalist Ruhila Adatia among the dead
Secretary of State John Kerry said the wife of a diplomat working at Agency for International Development killed
Security guards wheeling out bodies in shopping carts from Westlands Shopping Center in Nairobi
Somalian terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack which they live-blogged on Twitter
Terrorist organization released a statement saying it warned Kenya to remove troops from Somalia
Security forces have secured the first and second floors of the five-story shopping center
Between 20 and 50 hostages may still be held inside, according to Kenyan media
Security forces have 'contained but not arrested' the gunmen as the siege passes the 24-hour mark
Two gunman have been killed by authorities, as many as eight more remain with one believed to be a woman
The upscale mall is a favorite shopping spot for expats and wealthy Kenyans
Witness says attackers told shoppers non-Muslims were the targets

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2428614/Nairobi-mall-Gunmen-massacred-39-Kenyan-shopping-centre-targeted-non-Islamics.html

[apples]

security forces now on the final stages of the rescue operation in Westgate Mall amidst sustained gunfire.

A combination of Kenyan security forces now on the final stages of the rescue operation in Westgate Mall amidst sustained gunfire.

http://www.nation.co.ke/news/-/1056/2003074/-/137dfkr/-/index.html

[apples]

We have come to revenge, gunmen told victims before they opened fire

In one of the most daring act of public execution, gun-trotting criminals struck at  Westgate,  Nairobi?s most lavish shopping mall and arbitrarily shot at shoppers before holding others hostage for hours.


On a weekend the populous uptown shopping mall is a beehive of activities with revellers and shoppers thronging in.

The incident happened at around 11am on Saturday and witness accounts pointed to an act of terror.

They described the Saturday  attack as brutal, merciless and barbaric as the gun-wielding criminals sprayed bullets on innocent Kenyans at various shopping units within the mall.

At the MP Shah hospital, located a few meters from the mall, Mr Mwema Kyalo, a taxi driver who had dropped six primary school children to attend a birthday party inside the mall, said he saw two middle-aged men alight from a Toyota saloon car at the parking yard and then ordered all who were at the area to lie down.

Kyalo said he then heard them yell: ?If you are a Muslim get out first,? as the merciless gang sprayed bullets towards those they suspected were not their sympathisers.

?Those who identified themselves as Muslims were allowed to exit the mall, while the two men shot at everyone. I feigned unconscious pretending I had been shot and lay on the ground still,? said the driver whose lucky escape from the gallows of death was godsend. ?One of the gunmen hit me on the neck but I did not move, and he went away after confirming I was dead,? he added.

Kyalo said he saw one of the gun-trotting criminals haul a grenade into the mall before it exploded, killing several and injuring hundreds others as another wielded a sophisticated gun and fired indiscriminately.

Medical staff at the MP Shah hospital were mobilised and volunteers were at hand to help those injured get medical attention.

?We need blood, kindly members of the public proceed down there and help us save the lives of our innocent fellow Kenyans, those with blood group O (negative) should hurry up please,? appealed one of the medical staff at the hospital.

The hospital had received a total of 120 casualties at the facility by the time of going to press. A list at the notice board was conspicuous with names of people with Indian origin, their ages indicated against their names.

Majority of those admitted were aged between 40 and 65. Areas around Westlands are mainly inhabited by Indians who mostly shop at the lavish mall. Dr Mohammed Anwar Khan said three people died at the hospital while most casualties have bullets lodged in their bodies.

http://standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000094017&story_title=we-have-come-to-revenge-gunmen-told-victims-before-they-opened-fire

[GeronL]

do you think that Americans and Canadians being killed will get the MSM to report this??

[apples]

Jason Straziuso @jstraziuso 35m

I'm 300 meters from mall when blast went off. Eery silence afterward. One short gunfire burst.
  View conversation 
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Jason Straziuso @jstraziuso 39m

That last big blast far larger than any explosion I'm last 30 hours. No idea what caused it.
 Expand 
Jason Straziuso @jstraziuso 46m

Huge explosion at kenya mall just now.
 Expand 
Jason Straziuso @jstraziuso 51m

More gunfire, sounds like possibly outside #westgatemall. Helos still circling.
 Expand 
Jason Straziuso @jstraziuso 1h

Army helicopter close to #WestgateMall just visible in background. First time so close since Sat attack. pic.twitter.com/WzPBoPRTj3

https://twitter.com/jstraziuso

[apples]

do you think that Americans and Canadians being killed will get the MSM to report this??

That will be the reason they don't! Can't have McPains and Obamas moderate muzzies shown in this way.

[GeronL]

death toll now at least 68, more than 200 hospitalized

It ain't over yet.

--- don't forget the Philippines thing has been going on for over 2 weeks now.

[apples]

death toll now at least 68, more than 200 hospitalized

It ain't over yet.

--- don't forget the Philippines thing has been going on for over 2 weeks now.

Could you post the link to the Philippines if you have one? I only have seen one small burp about it.