(AFP) – 1621 GMT: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vows to pursue his own crackdown on Islamist extremists.
“The reign of terror anywhere in the world is an assault on our collective humanity,” Jonathan tells the UN General Assembly, condemning the “dastardly terrorist attack” on the Westgate mall.
He says Nigeria also faces a “challenge to national stability”, in reference to Boko Haram, an Islamist movement whose insurgency there has left more than 3,600 people dead since 2009.
1605 GMT: President Uhuru Kenyatta had been due to speak to the nation about half an hour ago, but so far there is no sign, as security forces continue to check every corner of the mall.
1552 GMT: Kenyan troops continue to scour the mall, going shop-to-shop to make sure they have eliminated all the Islamist attackers, sources tell our reporters at the scene.
“A clearing operation is in progress,” a diplomatic source says outside the mall, while a Kenyan security source adds: “They are searching shop by shop to make sure there is nobody left.”
“We can’t say it’s over until we are sure that no one is left and nobody is being attacked,” the security source says.
1541 GMT: Kenya’s Red Cross tweets that it has raised KES 62,026,470 (US $711,500; 527,000 euros) to help victims of the attack.
1530 GMT: The latest Twitter account set up by the Shebab militants tweets: “Mujahideen (fighters) have no desire to kill women & children and have done everything practically possible to evacuate them before attacking Westgate.”
This claim is belied by many of the accounts coming from inside the besieged mall, however.
For example, a heavily pregnant Dutch woman, Elif Yavuz, was found dead in the arms of her partner, and British businessman Louis Bawa has spoken of how his eight-year-old daughter and wife were among at least 65 people killed in the attack.
1521 GMT: Amid the horrors of the siege, a few puppies and kittens had a lucky escape.
Staff at the animal protection charity KSPCA became worried about the plight of pets on sale on Peponi Road, near the scene of the attack.
Security forces helped them enter the area and they rescued five neglected puppies and three kittens, which the charity shows in a photo on its Facebook page.
“After we had left a bomb went off and the bomb disposal squad rushed to the building. We had just left in time,” the staff say in a note accompanying the photo.
1517 GMT: Meanwhile, the Kenyan police Twitter account puts out this message: “We would like to urge all Kenyans that security has been beefed up across Nairobi & the country. Do not let the enemy control your movements.”
1512 GMT: Kenya’s inspector general of police, David Kimaiyo, tweets from the Bible’s Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light & my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”
The words are accompanied by a photo of armed security officers.
1455 GMT: As the world follows the Westgate mall siege, suspected UK militant Jermaine Grant is on trial in Kenya, accused of ties to the Shebab, who have claimed responsibility for the mall attack.
British detective Robert John Garrick told a Mombasa court today that he and colleagues found chemicals including battery acid at Grant’s home in the port city.
The chemicals could have produced explosives when combined, he said, according to AFP’s reporter.
Prosecutors have accused Grant, a 30-year-old Muslim convert, of working with fellow Briton Samantha Lewthwaite — the fugitive widow of suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, who blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people.
1431 GMT: Reports in the Kenyan media say that President Uhuru Kenyatta will address the nation in an hour’s time.
1427 GMT: More on the Somali prime minister’s comments from a few minutes ago: Abdi Farah Shirdon was speaking from a UN human rights meeting in Geneva.
“Those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.
“This tragedy has brought our countries closer.”
Somalia’s ungoverned spaces have allowed groups like the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab to flourish since the 1991 collapse of its government, but growing areas of the country are today relatively peaceful.
1423 GMT: A report says the militants actually rented a shop in the mall in order to prepare for their deadly attack.
The Financial Times cites a senior adviser to the Kenyan government (not named) as saying:
© AFP
Kenyan soldiers stand on September 24, 2013 near the entrance of the Westgate mall in Nairobi
© AFP Carl de Souza
“They rented a shop and have slowly been smuggling in equipment; how do you explain them being able to hold fire from Saturday, Sunday, Monday — to sustain for all those hours. There was a timetable to be smuggling those things in there.”
1418 GMT: Up to a dozen armed officers are on the roof of the shopping centre, according to Larry Madowo, of the broadcasting network NTV Kenya.
“For the record, Westgate has two rooftops. We see activity on the lower level. We are yet to see anybody on the higher & bigger level,” he adds on Twitter.
1405 GMT: SOMALIA PM SAYS KENYA MALL ATTACKERS ‘MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’
1359 GMT: Kenya’s Red Cross tweets a photo of gospel musician Alex Apoko, known as Ringtone, with his sleeve rolled up ready to donate blood — something hundreds of Kenyans have done since the attack began.
1346 GMT: Our reporters in Jerusalem note that
Israel, said to have aided Kenya during mall attack, has long viewed East Africa as a region of major strategic and economic importance.
Kenya has enjoyed a close, diversified relationship with the Jewish state since the two countries established formal ties exactly 50 years ago, Galia Sabar, head of African studies at Tel Aviv University, tells AFP.
Figures from by the Israel Export Institute show trade between the two countries reached $139 million in 2012 — eight percent of Israel’s entire trade with Africa.
1338 GMT: According to AFP photos coming through, Kenyan security forces have again tear-gassed crowds of onlookers to disperse them from the mall area — a tactic they also used yesterday.
1334 GMT: Despite confusion stemming from some of the Kenyan police statements about the siege, the force is receiving nothing but praise on its Facebook page for its efforts against the militants.
“Great job! I salute you!” writes one fan, while another says: “Am proud of our security forces u r our heros, keep going until these idiots r killed.”
1323 GMT: As the siege rumbles on many Kenyans have turned out to offer donations for troops involved in the operation, as well as blood donations for the wounded.
East Africa journalist Hannah McNeish, who is in Nairobi, says on Twitter: “Volunteers at centre near Westgate mall say so much food donated for troops, media, counselors and families they will have to donate after.”
1302 GMT: More from Shebab spokesman Rage: “We will make them suffer what we suffer in southern Somalia, we are giving a warning to the Kenyan government and to all those who support it.”.
The background to this is that Kenyan troops invaded southern Somalia to attack Shebab bases two years ago, joining forces with a Somali militia warlord and wresting the key port of Kismayo from the extremists. Kenyan troops later joined the AU force deployed in Somalia.
1257 GMT: More details on the breaking news earlier — Shebab insurgents are warning they would follow up Westgate with further attacks if Kenyan troops don’t pull out of Somalia immediately.
“If not, know that this is just a taste of what we will do… you should expect black days,” says Shebab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage, speaking in Arabic in an audio broadcast released by the extremists.
1252 GMT: The AU’s Mwencha goes on to say that the 17,700-strong African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) — there since 2007 — are still fighting Shebab rebels in the country. But the militants have have “melted into society,” making them harder to pin down.
“However large a force you are, there’s no amount of work that can be enough to try and flush them out of society,” he says.
Shebab have said the mall attack was in retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia.
1246 GMT: The African Union vows to press on with its fight against Al-Shebab in Somalia — Erastus Mwencha, the deputy head of the AU’s executive branch, tells AFP: “Our resolve is to fight now more than ever before.”
He says the bloody siege underscores the difficulty of fighting Shebab rebels, whose threat extends beyond the borders of Somalia.
“This is a moving target which we must constantly update ourselves (on) and continue to be vigilant in our fight,” he says, adding that the international community must work together to exchange intelligence and expertise.
1240 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: SHEBAB THREATEN NEW ATTACKS IF KENYA DOES NOT LEAVE SOMALIA.
1238 GMT: In case you’re just joining us, here’s a roundup of today’s developments in the Westgate mall siege:
— Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militants say they are still holding hostages as Kenyan troops battle for a fourth day to end the assault at the sprawling complex. Kenyan officials meanwhile say all the hostages are believed to have been freed;
— Sporadic gunfire has been heard throughout the morning along with a series of explosions at the mall which officials say they have under their control. The interior ministry insists the assault is “very near the end”.
— The death toll in the siege has risen to 65, with the deaths of three Kenyan soldiers this morning. Around 63 people are still missing.
— Police are defusing explosive devices in the building where security sources say “one or two” militants are barricaded in a casino. Part of the mall’s roof has collapsed following a fire yesterday.
1224 GMT: Kenya’s Vice President William Ruto says he visited victims of the terror attack this morning at hospitals in Nairobi. He says it was with “great shock and sadness” that he heard of the attack while in The Hague where he is defending claims against him of crims against humanity.
“We have been assaulted by hateful, unthinking cowards whose depravity motivates them to seek gratification in killing and maiming innocent, harmless people,” he says in a statement. “Their moral deformity is monstrous and appalling.”
© AFP
Onlookers are teargassed by police trying to disperse people around Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall, September 24, 2013
© AFP Tony Karumba
He also pays tribute to the police and armed forces for their “painful sacrifices”, following the deaths of three soldiers earlier.
1207 GMT: A second intelligence source says the Shebab had long been expected to attack a high-profile target in Kenya because of the country’s military intervention in Somalia.
But “we didn’t manage to detect this one,” the source says. “It may have come from another AQ (Al-Qaeda) branch.”
1204 GMT: There were no leaks or “chatter” intercepted from Somalia’s Shebab rebels ahead of the mall attack, intelligence sources from two foreign countries tell AFP.
The sources, who cannot be identified, said Shebab’s operations are closely monitored but there was no indication the group was preparing an operation on this scale.
“Usually there are intercepts or chatter, but not this time,” says one of the sources. “It suggests they’ve done things differently, or that it was another cell” — not necessarily part of Shebab.
1155 GMT: More information on that last bit of breaking news — it is part of the mall’s parking area which has collapsed, towards the rear of the complex.
The roof was thought to have been weakened during yesterday’s fire.
1141 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: PART OF NAIROBI MALL ROOF COLLAPSES IN ONGOING SIEGE: FIREMAN.
1137 GMT: The Sun newspaper in Britain today tells the story of a four-year-old boy caught up in the attack who was offered chocolate by one of the Islamists and asked for forgiveness.
Elliott Prior, who had been shopping with his mother and sister at the mall when it came under attack on Saturday, confronted one of the militants, telling him “you’re a very bad man,” his uncle told the newspaper.
Alex Coutts said the attacker took pity on the family and allowed them to escape, handing the children Mars bars as he told them: “Please forgive me, we are not monsters.”
1129 GMT: Head of the Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi, sends his condolences to the families of the three fallen soldiers.
“General Karangi hails the fallen soldiers as part of our modern day heroes who have paid the ultimate price in the defence of their country,” the KDF says on Twitter.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism will not dampen KDF resolve to ensure that peace and stability is regained in Somalia and in the region.”
© AFP
A riot police officer disperses crowds gathered on September 23, 2013 around Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi
© AFP James Quest
1124 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: THREE KENYAN SOLDIERS WOUNDED DIE FROM WOUNDS, ARMY SAYS. Eight others wounded remain in hospital.
“Regrettably, three of KDF soldiers involved in Westgate Mall rescue operations have succumbed to their injuries,” Kenyan Defence Forces announce on Twitter @kdinfo.
1117 GMT: Journalist Hannah McNeish, who is outside Westgate, says in a tweet at 1015 GMT that officials claim the siege will be over in just a couple of hours.
She says: “One Kenyan soldier and a police chief tell me this will be over in two hours, as fresh portaloos brought in and loud blast from shopping mall area.”
1111 GMT: More reassurance and calls for patience from Kenya Police. A tweet from @PoliceKE says: “We are in the last stages of the security operation at Westgate and we urge you all to be patient so that you get proper information.”
1106 GMT: In case you missed it… As well as the British woman reported to be among the attackers, we reported earlier that two or three young American men are also in the group of insurgents, according to Kenya’s top diplomat.
“The Americans, from the information we have, are young men, about between maybe 18 and 19,” Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed told US public broadcaster PBS. She said they were of Somali or Arab origin but “lived in the US, in Minnesota and one other place.”
“So, basically, look, that just was to underline, I think, the global nature of this war that we’re fighting,” she added.
1054 GMT: AFP correspondents say shooting has been heard on and off at Westgate throughout the morning.
Police have not elaborated on its earlier alert reporting a “clean-up” of explosives, and the size and scale of the devices are not yet clear. But the development does suggest the dangers are not over in a siege that has now dragged on for over 72-hours.
1046 GMT: More here from our Johannesburg bureau on the “White Widow”: Lewthwaite is wanted by Kenya over terror plot allegations after she entered the country with a South African passport — believed to be forged — under the name Natalie Faye Webb.
The 29-year-old regularly travels to South Africa and stayed in Indian suburbs of Johannesburg earlier this year, according to terror expert and politics professor Hussein Solomon from the University of the Free State.
“She managed to enter the country even though her name is on Interpol’s list of wanted persons,” Solomon told Beeld newspaper.
1037 GMT: South Africa says it is looking into reports that the British “White Widow”, the subject of much speculation in the media today, travelled to Kenya on a forged South African passport.
Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa tells us Pretoria is conducting a “thorough investigation” into the reports and will work with Kenyan authorities to obtain a copy of the passport and “determine the facts”.
“Reports are saying a white terrorist was killed in that shootout,” he says, referring to reports that Samantha Lewthwaite had been killed in the standoff with troops in the mall.
He says South African officials are trying to find out if a passport was found “on the body of the person” killed in the Nairobi siege.
© AFP
A photo taken on September 24, 2013 shows bullet holes around a window of the Westgate mall in Nairobi
© AFP/fILE Carl de Souza
1025 GMT: Kenya’s National Disaster Operation Centre warns people to be wary of anyone asking for money at blood donation centres set up in the wake of the attack.
A tweet @NDOCKenya says: “There are individuals claiming to be collecting money for victims at blood donation centres. Pls note fundraising is only via mobile money.”
1019 GMT: Kenyan police say they are defusing explosive devices set up by the militants. It comes several hours after sporadic gunfire broke out at the mall at dawn.
Kenyan troops claim to be in “control” of the whole mall.
1009 GMT: BREAKING NEWS: KENYAN FORCES DEFUSE EXPLOSIVE DEVICES IN MALL: POLICE.
1008 GMT: Kenya’s Interior Ministry is repeating its calls for calm and for people to stay away from Westgate. It says in a tweet @InteriorKE “we’re very near the end”.
1002 GMT: International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has offered to help prosecute those behind the Westgate attack.
She expressed “her deep sympathy to the victims of the appalling attack”, which “may constitute a crime” under the ICC’s founding Rome Statute, to which Kenya is a party.
“With full respect for the primacy of jurisdiction of the Republic of Kenya, the prosecutor stands ready to work with the international community and the government of Kenya to ensure that those responsible for these crimes are brought to justice,” Bensouda said.
0956 GMT: Kenya Defence Forces say they are still working to “neutralize terrorist threat” with troops now involved in a “mop up operation” in the building. They say on Twitter @kdinfo that an official statement on the status of the operation will be issued later.
© AFP
A photo of Samantha Lewthwaite taken from her fake South African passport released by Kenyan police in December 2011.
© KENYAN POLICE/AFP
0942 GMT: There is growing speculation that a British woman nicknamed “the white widow” was among the attackers but contradictory statements are coming from officials.
Samantha Lewthwaite is the daughter of a British soldier and widow of Germaine Lindsay, one of the suicide bombers in the July 7 attacks on London in 2005.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed says the 29-year-old was one of the insurgents, telling the US public broadcaster PBS: “she has, I think, done this many times before.”
But Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku earlier said none of the militants were women, though some male attackers “had dressed like women.”
0932 GMT: Worth noting that while Shebab is saying it its fighter are still holding hostages inside the mall, Kenya’s interior ministry says all hostages trapped by the militants are believed to have been freed.
No details on the numbers of hostages released have been given, but 63 people are recorded missing by the Red Cross, a figure thought to include hostages as well as those possibly killed.
0926 GMT: The UN special representative for Somalia calls for a redoubling of efforts in battling the country’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab fighters.
The “UN approach and my approach to Shebab in Somalia is we need to intensify our campaigns,” Nicholas Kay tells reporters in Geneva. “It must be military, but also political and practical… On all three, we need to redouble our efforts.”
0923 GMT: Kenya Police has this alert on Twitter: “We are doing clean-up of explosives that had been set up by the terrorists. Let us ignore propagandists. Pls. RT.”
In another tweet the force says: “The enemy will continue spewing out progaganda to ensure that we fall as they want us to. Let us ignore such and focus on what is clear.”
0919 GMT: Kenyan authorities say they now have control of the whole of the mall and security sources say “one or two” militants are barricaded in or around a casino on one of the upper floors of the complex.
Government spokesman Manoah Esipisu tells AFP the siege is close to being declared over, with special forces “sanitising” the complex in case “there are a couple of them hiding in a remote room or corner.”
“We think that everyone, the hostages, have been evacuated,” she says.
However authorities have been saying since early Monday that the operation is nearing its conclusion.
0914 GMT: Al-Shebab also confirm that a photograph circulating on the Internet — purportedly showing two gunmen in black headscarves ambling past a children’s sweet stall at the mall — is genuine.
The undated photo, apparently from a security camera, shows militants “unruffled and strolling around the mall” in a “sang froid manner”.
These postings come from the latest Twitter account set up by the Somali-based insurgents. A string of their accounts have been shut down since the attack began, but they have swiftly set up new ones.
0907 GMT: As the siege at Westgate enters its fourth day, Islamist Shebab fighters claim to still be holding hostages at the mall — and say they are still alive — though it is not known how many there are.
“The hostages who were being held by the mujahedeen inside Westgate are still alive, looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive,” the Shebab says in a message posted on their Twitter account.
The Shebab also claim its fighters are “still holding their ground”, bragging about the “countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall.”
WELCOME TO AFP’S LIVE REPORT on the hostage situation at Nairobi’s Westgate mall where Kenyan troops continue to battle Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants who launched a deadly attack on the complex four days ago.
Sporadic shooting at the upmarket shopping centre broke out again at dawn Tuesday, hours after officials had claimed Kenyan troops were in “control” of the four-storey building where “one or two” militants are making a final stand, according to security sources.
At least 62 shoppers and staff have been killed and close to 200 wounded in the siege, but concerns are high that the toll may yet rise with 63 recorded missing.
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