Two killed, over 10 suspects arrested in Westgate Mall attack

 By Moses Michira and Cyrus Ombati

KENYA: Two members of the Al-Shabaab terror gang who staged a major attack at a city mall on Saturday were killed Monday by rescue forces.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku could not however, reveal the identities of the slain members.

The killing came as police held more than 10 suspects for questioning in connection with the attack. The suspects include youths from Nairobi’s Majengo slums said to have been spotted in the area before, during and after the Saturday attack.

The dead were part of a gang of 15 members who staged a daring attack, taking hostage of the patrons as they randomly shot innocent civilians.

“We have identified and killed two terrorists. Several are injured, we will give you details as we go forward,” said Ole Lenku as he sought to give Kenyans reassurance after the attack that has left at least 62 dead and over 160 injured.

Chief of the Kenya Defence Force Julius Karangi confirmed the two killings and said their profiles including their identities and nationalities will be provided.

News of the killing of the pair provided some relief for Kenyans as the rescue forces intensified the mission.

Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said the suspects are being questioned for more information on the attack.

“We have arrested more than 10 individuals for questioning in relation to the attack at the mall and we are looking for more,” said Kimaiyo.

By last evening, more than 60 people had been confirmed dead in the attack and hundreds wounded in the siege. 

Anti-terror police officers involved in the initial rescue mission on Saturday said they had spotted at least three youths from Majengo slum.

Majengo slum

The officers said they could not concentrate on the youths, some of whom had been on a watch list, because their mission was to rescue the hostages.

“We are aware some of those who were involved in this attack were our youths from Majengo slums. They were spotted and efforts to trace them are ongoing,” said an officer aware of the operation but who could not be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Majengo slum has been one of the focal points of terrorism amid claims that it is the main source of most of the terror suspects who go for training in Somalia and come back for attacks.

Contingents of detectives were dispatched to various areas to trace the suspects after several informers linked them to the attack.

Police want to know how they assembled the arsenal that they used on the attack, and all those involved.

The suspects were taken to various isolated places where they are being grilled. Most of them are said to be converts and are Kenyans.

The Kenya Defence Forces was by last evening in control of all the four floors of the Mall as they pushed forward to corner the terrorists. The troops were clearing the building as part of efforts to ensure it is secure. Three terrorists were killed and others who were injured were arrested.

Several shopping malls around Nairobi including the nearby Sarit Centre have remained closed following the attack.

Smoke

Ole Lenku said the smoke seen billowing from the high-end shopping mall for the better part of Monday was from a fire started by the terrorists to distract the security officers.

“Indications are that the building has been blown up, but nothing could be further from the truth. We want to assure Kenyans that the forces are in full control and we are certain that within no time, the fire will be put out,” he said.

He added that the hostage evacuation had delayed the rescue operation because the security officers wanted to minimise the number of casualties.

“The process of evacuating hostages has gone on very well and we are very certain that if any, there are very few hostages left in the building,” he said.