Terror in Kenya: Chilling claim as shocking picture shows terrified little girl fleeing mall massacre
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- UK death toll expected to rise following Saturday's attack at Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya
- Men, women and children slaughtered if they could not recite Koran or name Prophet Mohammed's mother
- Terror group Al Shabaab posts names online of some of 15 'holy warriors' who it says carried out attack
- One was named as Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, from London, along with others from Canada and America
- Kenyan official reveals he suspects the involvement of fugitive 7/7 'white widow' Samantha Lewthwaite
By Rebecca Evans and Paul Bentley
PUBLISHED: 17:44 EST, 22 September 2013 | UPDATED: 18:39 EST, 22 September 2013
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A British gunman has been named as one of the terrorists who stormed a Kenyan shopping centre and executed 68 people.
At least three Britons were murdered in the bloody siege and the UK death toll was expected to rise as Islamic terrorists and police remained in a tense stand-off.
Around 15 hostages were still trapped in the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi after more than 24 hours of carnage. Men, women and children were slaughtered if they could not recite the Koran or name the mother of the Prophet Mohammed.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- Scroll down for videos
Fleeing: A child runs to safety across the shopping mall following the deadly attack in Nairobi, Kenya
Response: A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre where gunmen went on a shooting spree in Nairobi
Terror: Armed police guide a woman carrying a child to safety at Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi
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
Rescue mission: An image from AFP TV shows military forces taking position inside the shopping mall
Moving quickly: An image grab taken from AFP TV shows civilians taking cover following an attack by masked gunmen in a shopping mall in Nairobi
Last night the murder gang, saying they were from terror group Al Shabaab, posted the names online of some of the 15 ‘holy warriors’ who carried out the attack, naming one as Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, from London.
A Kenyan official said he suspected the involvement of fugitive 7/7 ‘white widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite, a key figure in Al Shabaab.
Shoppers who were able to prove they were Muslim were among the 1,000 who escaped unharmed, whilst those who failed were shot for being ‘kafir’, a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
One man, who survived by hiding inside a box of cartons, said: ‘If they had found me... I’m white and so I’m dead. They hate your skin colour.’
Those killed so far vary in age from two to 78.
Tense: Kenyan paramilitary officers walk towards a small shopping arcade adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the hostage situation continues
Armed response: Kenyan troops with machine guns take up position in the mall
Tense: Soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces walk out of the mall, following the sound of explosions and gunfire
Lock-down: Kenya security personnel walk to their positions outside the shopping mall as the siege continues
Distressing: A woman holds a baby sitting with other injured people who are crying for help after gunmen went on a shooting spree in the Westgate shopping centre
Response: Soldiers take positions outside the shopping centre in Nairobi. Dozens of people have been killed after masked gunmen stormed the mall and held shoppers
Shock: A soldier directs people up stairs inside the Westgate shopping mall after a shootout in Nairobi, Kenya. Gunmen had fired automatic weapons and grenades
Hunting down the terrorists: Soldiers from the Kenya Defence Forces arrive at the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital Nairobi
Help: Relatives and friends of victims line up to donate blood in Nairobi, following the overwhelming numbers of casualties from the Westgate mall shooting
The massacre, which began on Saturday shortly before midday local time, was carried out by Somali terror cell Al Shabaab, the East African arm of Al-Qaeda.
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.
A Twitter account purporting to belong to the terrorist organisation also said ‘there would be no negotiations whatsoever’.
The siege of the Israeli-owned mall bears all the hallmarks of Muslim-convert Lewthwaite, 29, who is on the run in East Africa after Kenyan police foiled her plot to blow up a shopping centre and two hotels in Mombasa two years ago.
ANYONE WHITE WAS A TARGET: Name the Prophet's mother or recite the Koran... If you couldn't you were murdered
Some barricaded themselves in storerooms, while others hid in boxes or even played dead.
All were fleeing the bloody massacre unfolding around them as they saw terrified fellow shoppers mercilessly executed after being singled out as non-Muslim.
Men, women and children were lined up and then gunned down with AK-47s after failing to name the Prophet Mohammed’s mother or recite passages from the Koran – sure-fire proof they were ‘kafirs’, or non-believers.
Others fled and sought refuge in shops, bank vaults and store rooms as grenades exploded and bullets fired around them. The fortunate ones managed to emerge blood-splattered and terrified, with the wounded pushed out in shopping trolleys.
'These are Islamic fundamentalist nutcases. They just shot and killed anybody. They are horrible'
Greg Aldous, witness
Hannah Chisholm, 21, from Haslemere, Surrey, described the terror and confusion at the Westgate Mall, which she was visiting while on holiday.
She said: ‘We kept running to different places but the shots were getting louder so we barricaded ourselves along with about 60 others into a large storeroom.
‘There were children hiding with us as well as someone who had been shot. At that point we thought the gunmen were thieves so we assumed they wouldn’t try to reach the storeroom.’
Greg Aldous, from New Zealand, told how he hid in a box and watched a man being gunned down 30ft away from him. He said the terrorists ‘were coming in through the front, they were coming in through the back and we were just sitting ducks’.
He added: ‘These are Islamic fundamentalist nutcases. They just shot and killed anybody. They are horrible.’
He eventually escaped under the cover of darkness to a lorry-loading depot where people were panicking and screaming. ‘My instinct was to hide and I jumped into a large box containing supermarket cartons and hid there,’ he said. ‘I only survived the massacre because I kept out of sight.
‘If they had found me… I’m white, so I’m dead. They’re not even going to think twice. They hate your skin colour.’
Radio presenter Saadia Ahmed was one of the 1,000 who managed to flee. She said: ‘I witnessed a few people get up and say something in Arabic and the gunmen let them go.
‘A colleague of mine said he was Muslim and recited something in Arabic and they let him go as well.’
But she added: ‘I saw a lot of children and elderly people being shot dead. I don’t understand why you would shoot a five-year-old child.
‘They were firing at random at anyone who tried to escape.’
'Blood in my hair. Not mine. That little boy who died right next to me'
Kamal Kaur
One mother, Kamal Kaur, who had been shopping with her family, posted a string of shocking tweets about her ordeal when she got home.
‘I just washed my hair and wailed like a child. Blood in my hair. Not mine. That little boy who died right next to me… My son almost had his head blown off. Missed by an inch. Hit wall. Bounced and killed the little boy next to him.’
Kenyan IT engineer Charles Karani, 41, said: ‘I hid under a car with my daughters, and I saw the men line up maybe 40 people and ask them who was Muslim, and if they were, to prove it by saying the name of the Prophet’s mother. Those who got it wrong were shot. There was blood everywhere.
‘Two ladies under the car with me had gunshot wounds on their legs. Other people for sure are dead. I saw four people lying, not moving.
‘A grenade was thrown and it rolled near us. My daughter said, “Papa, there’s a grenade” – but thank God it didn’t go off and I kicked it away.’
Video footage of the attack emerged last night showing terrified shoppers running for cover as gunfire is heard.
One woman, writing on Twitter under the name Shirley Ghetto, told how she was hiding under some mattresses in the mall. She wrote: ‘Is it safe to come out from hiding? It’s quiet. Please keep me updated.’
Fred Ngoga Gateretse, an official with the African Union, crouched on the floor and watched gunmen firing at shoppers and Kenyan police. ‘Believe me, these guys were good shooters,’ he said. ‘You could tell they were trained.’
Ordeal: People come out from hiding under a car next to bodies in a car park as police search for the armed radicals
Led to safety: An image grab taken from AFP TV shows civilians being evacuated from the mall
Siege: People look at the Westgate shopping mall in the distance where hostages are being held for the second day
Escape: This family, who had been trapped inside the shopping centre, support each other as they escape 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
The Home Counties mother-of-four, widow of 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay, is now one of the main financiers and bomb-making tutors for Al Shabaab.
A senior Kenyan terrorist official said last night: ‘I suspect this woman is behind this attack because she has been financing the activities of the Al-Qaeda cell in Mombasa.’
The officer said a witness saw a woman in a veil commanding the attack and police were investigating if this may have been Lewthwaite.
Witnesses told how terrorists their faces hidden with Islamic scarves stormed the building and started tossing grenades and spraying shoppers with AK-47s.
Emergency: A Red Cross assistant helps a child outside who was among those caught in the shooting
Killings: At least 59 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 after al Shabaab terrorists stormed Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya armed with guns and grenades
Spree: Shots are still being heard in the mall as police and terrorists engage in a stand-off
The gunmen 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.
Terrified shoppers fled and hid in storerooms, restaurants and a cinema, with the wounded being carried out bloodied and in shopping trolleys.
Last night British, US and Israeli security forces joined their Kenyan counterparts to try to regain control of the mall.
There were unconfirmed reports that some hostages had been executed after attempts by the military to launch an assault on the roof.
Hands up: Hostages of all nationalities head for the exit with their arms raised to show they are not carrying any weapons
Location: The attack took place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya
Tragic: Annemarie Desloges, a Canadian diplomat seen here with her husband Robert Munk, was killed in the atrocity
Members of the Indian community pay their respects at the cremation ceremony of Nehal Vekaria, a 16-year-old female student who was killed during the shooting spree
Helping the injured: Bags of blood are seen on a table after Kenyans come in large numbers to donate blood for the victims of the attack
Helping out: British High Commissioner to Kenya, Christian Turner (left) lies on a bed after donating blood, following the overwhelming numbers of casualties from the shooting
Scramble: People crawl on their stomachs to safety as security forces keep a lookout at the Nairobi mall on Saturday
Some claimed hostages were ‘shot and thrown out of the window’ of the building’s fourth floor.
The gunmen are understood to be holed up inside the supermarket with their hostages.
Last night, Al Shabaab’s spokesman Mukhtaar Robow told Channel 4: ‘We are saying to the British, since we believe they are helping the Kenyans, and Kenyans are their slaves, they (the British) should tell the Kenyans, they should order back the Kenyan army out of Somalia.
'And the English know Somalis will not give up the fight.’
Wounded: A Kenyan policeman sits clutching his stomach alongside his rifle while a colleague exchanges fire with the terrorists
Scared: Clearly distressed, this family join hands as they make their way out of the building. Bullet wounds can be seen in the glass behind them
Cat and mouse: A security officer points out the location of where some of the terrorists may be hiding to his colleagues, all three of whom have their pistols at the ready
Protection: A mother and her children lie on the floor as they attempt to hide while the gunmen armed with automatic weapons go on the rampage
Terrified: A young girl in tears is led away form the terror by a police officer
Updates: It has been claimed that the terrorists were tweeting updates about their attack from the scene
Safety: Shoppers and shop assistants raise their hands as they are escorted out by armed police
The Twitter account said ‘Westgate Warriors’ were carrying out the attack as vengeance for Kenya refusing to remove its troops from Somalia.
Later on, a message said: ‘We’ve received permission to disclose the names of our mujahideen [holy warriors].'
Along with Ahmed Shirdoon from London, others identified were from Finland, Kenya, Somalia, Canada and America.
Prime Minister David Cameron described the assault as ‘absolutely sickening’.
Children: A soldier carries one of the survivors to safety as armed police hunt for the gunmen
Hunt: Armed police search customers taking cover inside a bathroom at the shopping centre
Gunfight: Police are still trying to escort people away from the site where fighting continues
Hostages: Police say armed men are still in the building and are holding prisoners
Deadly: Armed police search Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi for the last remaining gunmen
Search: Police scour the centre with guns to try and locate the terrorists still holding hostages
Shattered glass: A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre where gunmen went on a shooting spree in Nairobi
Special forces: The army and elite squads have been drafted in to help police flush out the gunmen
Shootout: A police officer takes up position at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi
Rescue: A policeman carries a baby to safety on the barrel of his gun while a woman ducks for safety behind him
Stand-off: Soldiers are still searching in and around the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi after the supposed terrorist attack
Wounded: A security officer helps an injured woman away from the building
Injured: A security officer talks to his colleagues shortly after being helped from the scene having been wounded
Critical: A victim is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi for emergency treatment
Rescue: A woman is shipped to an ambulance in a shopping trolley by centre staff
Devastating: Injured people receive assistance from bypassers at the scene of the shooting
Family mall: Customers who had planned a Saturday of shopping were forced to run following a shootout between unidentified armed men and the police
Escape: An injured man who managed to flee the attackers is treated by paramedics outside the shopping centre
Victim: Rescuers attempt to evacuate a man injured in the shooting
Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, whose relatives were killed in the attack, vowed to hunt down the terrorists.
The Foreign Office confirmed that three Britons were dead but said the death toll was expected to rise.
Four Americans, two Canadians, including one diplomat, and two French women have been confirmed as among those killed.
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