'All Muslims leave' order... then gang targeted victims who couldn't name Prophet's mother: Horror as gunmen slaughter 43 in Kenyan mall and terrorists blog attack live on twitter

• 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
• Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to 'hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to'
• Somalian terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has links to Al-Qaeda, has now claimed responsibility for the attack 
• The terrorist organisation released a statement saying it warned Kenya to remove troops from Somalia 
• Officials believe 10 to 15 gunmen are involved
• The death toll reaches 59; at least 165 people are hospitalized
• Hostages are being held in several locations, the government says
• The army and special forces are helping police flush out the gunmen 
• Upmarket mall is a favourite shopping spot for expats and wealthy Kenyans
• Security guards wheel out bodies in shopping trolleys from Westlands Shopping Centre
• Witness says attackers told shoppers non-Muslims were the targets of the masked terrorists

A day of horror

Twenty four hours. Fifty nine dead. About 30 hostages still inside....

The calm was shattered around noon local time Saturday. Gunshots erupted as shoppers picked up groceries, savored lunch and browsed through the racks at stores.

Before long, pools of blood smeared pristine hallways. Bodies lay strewn across the floor.

Uche Kaigwa-Okoye was sipping coffee when he heard what first sounded like a fallen table, then the continuing rat-a-tat of gunfire. As the gunshots became louder, screaming crowds headed for the exits.

He joined 20 people who took shelter for about five hours in a women's bathroom cubicle.

"They had grenades, and it was really, really loud," he said of the attackers. He noticed tear gas in the hallways as well.

"All of us felt like they were close," he said.

As people texted family and friends outside the mall, word spread that nobody could be trusted. And even if the good guys could be sorted from the bad guys, the barrage of intermittent gunfire made any escape seem futile.




Terror: Armed police guide a woman carrying a child to safety at Westgate Shopping Centre



Escape: This family, who had been trapped inside the shopping centre, support each other as they escape from the scene






Updates: It has been claimed that the terrorists were tweeting updates about their attack from the scene




Horror: Shoppers hurry down an escalator with their hands in the air as they make their way out of the shopping centre to safety




Army: Soldiers were drafted in to help police tackle the gunmen, who are now known to be terrorists from the Somali al-Shabaab organisation, which has links to al-Qaeda




Shootout: Soldiers and armed police fire at the suspected terrorists as they try to wrest back control of the shopping centre




Desperation: A crowd of people hold their arms out to catch a Kenyan woman as she jumps out from the air vent where she had been hiding from the gunmen




Emergency: A Red Cross assistant helps a child outside who was among those caught in the shooting



Killings: At least 15 people are believed to be dead, although police have not confirmed a death toll




Desperation: An injured woman, whose face and clothes are drenched in blood, lies on the ground outside the shopping mall screaming for help




Escape: Women carrying children run for safety as armed police hunt gunmen who went on a shooting spree in Westgate shopping centre



Spree: Shots are still being heard in the mall as police and terrorists engage in a stand-off




Hands up: Hostages of all nationalities head for the exit with their arms raised to show they are not carrying any weapons

France's president said that two French women were killed. Two Canadians were killed, including a diplomat, said the Candadian prime minister. Four American citizens were reported injured but not killed in the attack, the State Department said Saturday.

Around 68 casualties were taken to the Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi, said a worker at the hospital. Bancy Wanjiru added that among them were six white foreigners whom she believed were British nationals.

The terrorists stormed the Westgate Mall and sprayed shoppers with bullets. Witnesses said the attackers told all Muslims to leave as they were only after non-Muslims.

Those shoppers who tried to leave were asked by the terrorists to name the Prophet Mohammed’s mother. If they failed to give her correct name of Amina they were shot dead, said one eye witness.

After Muslim shoppers had left the mall, the terrorists reportedly threw grenades and fired AK-47s.

Somali terrorist group Al Shabab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attacks, and said the atrocity was revenge for the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia.




People who had been hiding inside the mall during the gun battle flee the scene.




An injured man is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi.




A Kenyan woman is helped to safety after the masked gunmen stormed the upscale mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff.




Bodies lie outside the shopping mall. A Kenyan government source and Western diplomatic sources say the attackers appear to be of Somali origin.

 



  

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