Westgate shopping mall attack

Westgate shopping mall shooting
Smoke over Westgate shopping mall on 23 September 2013
Location	Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya
Coordinates	1°15′25″S 36°48′12″E
Date	21 September 2013 (2013-09-21) ~12:00–12:30 on 21–24 September (UTC+3)
Attack type	Mass murder, shootings, hostage crisis, siege
Weapons	AK-47s Grenades
Deaths	67 victims 5 attackers
Injured	175
Perpetrator	al-Shabaab

On 21 September 2013, unidentified gunmen attacked the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The attack, lasting until 24 September, resulted in 72 deaths, including 61 civilians, 6 Kenyan soldiers and 5 attackers. The attackers held hostages and later engaged in gun battles with Kenyan security forces. Over 200 people were reportedly wounded in the mass shooting.

The Islamist group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the incident, which it characterised as retribution for the Kenyan military's deployment in Somalia. Many media outlets also suspected the insurgent group's involvement in the attack based on earlier reprisal warnings it had issued in the wake of Operation Linda Nchi from 2011 to 2012.

Background

The incident followed threats from Al-Shabaab in late 2011 of attacks in Kenya in retaliation for Operation Linda Nchi, an AMISOM mission comprised primarily of Kenyan forces. One week before the incident and a month after United Nations warnings of possible attacks, Kenyan police claimed to have disrupted a major attack in its final stages of planning after arresting two people with suicide vests packed with ball bearings, grenades, and AK-47 assault rifles. The two suspects were from a Nairobi neighbourhood where Somali immigrants reside. A manhunt was also launched for eight more suspects. The Sunday Telegraph claimed that it had seen United Nations documents that warned last month that the threat of an "attempted large-scale [terror] attack" in Kenya was "elevated." The country was celebrating the International Day of Peace when the incident took place.

Shootings and siege

A military helicopter hovers over Westgate mall, 23 September.

On 21 September 2013, at about noon, between 10 and 15 masked assailants attacked the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Westlands district The fighting with armed police was ongoing over 48 hours later. The gunmen reportedly carried assault rifles and wore combat fatigues. There were additional reports of grenade explosions. Police surrounded the area and urged residents to stay away. A report indicated that about 80 people were trapped in the basement, but police said that they had escorted some shoppers to safety and were trying to capture the gunmen. The Secretary-General of the Kenyan Red Cross, Abbas Gullet, said that rescue workers could not reach some of the patrons in the mall. Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo wrote that there were "police at the scene and the area is surrounded."

Rob Vandijk, an employee of the Dutch embassy, said that while he was eating at a restaurant the attack commenced with grenades and was then followed by gunfire as patrons screamed as they dropped to the ground. Other witnesses said the attack began at the outdoor seating area of Artcaffe at the front of the mall. An Artcaffe employee, Patrick Kuria, said: "We started by hearing gunshots downstairs and outside. Later we heard them come inside. We took cover. Then we saw two gunmen wearing black turbans. I saw them shoot." Some of the casualties were shot at the entrance to the mall after gunfire moved outside and a stand-off then commenced with police. Ambulances were present at the mall as they started moving emerging victims. Reports indicated the presence of children, including patrons carrying small children. Mall security guards used shopping carts to ferry out wounded children. Yariv Kedar said that he was at lunch when he heard the firing.

Smoke rising from the Westgate mall area.

Nation TV footage showed dozens of people escaping from a back entrance. Bloomberg correspondent Marco Lui was on the second floor of the mall when the attack started; he said that two explosions happened within about five minutes of each other. "We heard a noise from the ground floor and people started running to the parking area on the rooftop. They were panicking and then the second blast went off and people were even more panicked." Other eyewitnesses said that in addition to grenades, the attackers used AK-47s. Twenty people were rescued from a toy shop on the upper floor. As the Kenyan army troops arrived, they used tear gas to try to smoke out the attackers from the cinema complex. Vehicles riddled with bullet holes were left abandoned in front of the mall. Kimaiyo said: "Our officers are on the ground carrying out an evacuation of those inside as they search for the attackers who are said to be inside." A police officer said that the gunmen were barricaded inside the Nakumatt supermarket. He indicated that there were three bodies there while he pointed to a pool of blood by a children's shoe shop. He then pointed to an hamburger bar where music still played and indicated more bodies were found there.

Onlookers flee at sound of renewed gunfire, 23 September 2013.

By nightfall, the mall remained sealed off to the public while security services searched floor by floor for the gunmen, believed to still be inside with the hostages. People continued to trickle out from hiding places. Internal Security Minister Mutea Iringo then said that the government was in control of the situation. Kimaiyo also wrote that several of the other assailants had been pinned down after security forces moved into the mall. After midnight the hostages were still held. President Uhuru Kenyatta said the security operation was "delicate" and that a top priority was to safeguard hostages. At about 2:30 – an hour after reporting five "visibly shaken" hostages' release – the National Disaster Operation Centre (NDOC) wrote that "major operations underway." As daylight broke, several of those hiding in the mall escaped.

The next evening, after nightfall, over 24 hours after the beginning of the attack, gunfire was still heard at the mall. Kenyan security forces had rescued about 1,000 hostages, according to Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku, who said that "the priority is to save as many lives as possible," as he reassured the families of the hostages. He further noted that there were 10 to 15 attackers involved and that Kenyan forces had control of the security cameras inside the mall. The military spokesman, Colonel Cyrus Oguna, said that most of the hostages had been released, saying that "most of them were dehydrated and suffering from shock;" he added that four Kenyan soldiers were injured in the rescue operation. Scores of Kenyan by-standers gathered by the mall as the operations continued. The NDOC forecast that the operation would end that night. There were also units backed by Israeli agents who moved in to end the siege. Kenyatta said that "the criminals are now all located in one place within the building...We have as good a chance to successfully neutralise the terrorists as we can hope for," Kenyatta said in a speech to the nation;" he also called for patience and said that he had received "numerous offers of assistance from friendly countries." The Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to confirm or deny if its forces were present. Lenku said on 23 September assured that "we are doing anything reasonably possible, cautiously though, to bring this process to an end", and said that at least three al-Shabab fighters were killed and ten Kenyan soldiers wounded. Eleven soldiers were also injured on the day, and three Kenyan commandos were shot at close range. It was also reported that three floors of the mall collapsed during the attack, trapping some bodies inside.

Onlookers during fighting at the Westgate mall area.

Overnight between 23 and 24 September, there was a lull in firing, but in the early morning hours sudden firing was heard despite troops saying they had "control." As the day progressed, police said that all hostages were released and they were conducting a final sweep of the complex as the interior ministry released a statement that said the four-day-long assault was "very near the end." However, the gunmen were still inside. The operation also involved U.S. and British agents. That day, President Kenyatta announced the end of military operations at the mall saying that 61 people civilians and 6 security force members had died. He also said that 5 attackers had died and 11 were in custody. "We have been badly hurt, but we have been brave, united and strong. Kenya has stared down evil and triumphed. We have defeated our enemies and showed the whole world what we can accomplish...three floors of the mall collapsed, trapping several bodies within the rubble including those of terrorists." He also vowed "full accountability for the mindless destruction, deaths, pain, loss and suffering we have all undergone. These cowards will meet justice, as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are." The Kenyan Red Cross said that 63 people were still missing. In Nairobi, though, daily business returned to normal and blood donor appeals ended when blood banks were filled with donations, while over US$650,000 was raised to support the affected families.

Secret Israeli involvement

Israeli sent advisors and commandos to the crime scene to retake the shopping center according to international sources like CBS and CBC. See the Los Angeles Times report here. http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77504287/ The shopping center is owned by Israelis. There terrorists claim that they were attacked by chemical weapons but this is not believable.

Victims

At least 62 people were killed, according to the Kenyan Red Cross, while three Kenyan soldiers were killed; 175 people were also wounded, including 10 soldiers. Eyewitnesses were reported to have seen 50 bodies in the mall. In addition, 36 people were taken hostage at the supermarket and a jewellery store; other eyewitnesses also said that they had seen dozens wounded. An unnamed local hospital reported that it was overwhelmed with the number of wounded being brought in and that it had consequently diverted victims to a second facility. Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia said that 293 people had received hospital treatment, and that the three hospitals in the area were appealing for more blood. The National Disaster Operation Centre said that the wounded ranged in age from 2 to 78. Notable victims included Kenyan journalist Ruhila Adatia-Sood, President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew Mbugua Mwangi and his fiancée, Ghanaian poet and diplomat Kofi Awoonor and Canadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges. Kenyan interior minister Joe Lenku said Israelis were not targeted. "This time, the story is not about Israel. The minister is saying that this is an internal Kenyan issue. His security forces tell him that this terror organisation was not targeting Israelis."

Nationality	Deaths
Kenya	At least 6
United Kingdom	6
India	3
Canada	2
France	2
Australia	1
China	1
Ghana	1
Netherlands	1
Peru	1
South Africa	1
South Korea	1
Trinidad and Tobago	1

In addition to numerous Kenyans who were killed, at least 18 foreigners of different nationalities also died.

Investigation

British police officers who are based in Kenya arrived on the scene to help Kenyan counter terrorism officials and an investigation had begun. Security was also tightened in public places across Kenya. Kenyan security forces arrested one of the gunmen in the early days of the assault, according to the Kenyan presidency's Twitter account. Ten arrests were reported on 24 September. In announcing the end of operations, Kenyatta said "forensic investigations are underway to establish the nationalities of all those involved" and suggested that a British woman and two or three U.S. citizens "may have been involved in the attack" but that could not be confirmed at the time. Kenyan army chief Julius Karangi said the attackers were from "different countries."

Perpetrators

Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue called the incident a "terrorist" attack and added that there were likely to be no more than 10 perpetrators involved.

An eyewitness said that the attackers had told Muslims to leave and that non-Muslims would be targeted. Others were asked to name the mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad to distinguish Muslims from non-Muslims. They also distinguished Muslims from non-Muslims by asking others to recite the shahadah.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku said that between 10 and 15 gunmen were involved in the attack and that Kenyan forces had control of security cameras installed inside the shopping complex. Witnesses who managed to escape also asserted that they heard some of the gunmen speaking either Arabic or Somali. After several hours, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Kenya's Capital FM, one attacker is reported to have escaped after a witness spotted him mingling with the victims as they were being rescued. There were also reports of a British perpetrator, but al-Shabaab strongly rejected those reports.

Al-Shabaab's Twitter outlet posted messages, amongst them some read: "The attacks are just retribution for the lives of innocent Muslims shelled by Kenyan jets in Lower Jubba and in refugee camps;" "What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military, albeit largely miniscule in nature;" "Since our last contact, the Mujahideen inside the mall confirmed to @HSM_Press that they killed over 100 Kenyan kuffar & battle is ongoing;" "For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it’s time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land;" "The attack at #WestgateMall is just a very tiny fraction of what Muslims in Somalia experience at the hands of Kenyan invaders;" "The Kenyan government, however, turned a deaf ear to our repeated warnings and continued to massacre innocent Muslims in Somalia;" "Kenyan government shall be held responsible for any loss of life as a result of such an imprudent move. The call is yours!" and "Kenyan forces who’ve just attempted a roof landing must know that they are jeopardising the lives of hostages." Twitter suspended their account before the attack had ended. A group spokesman, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage said: "If you want Kenya in peace, it will not happen as long as your boys are in our lands."

Another al-Shabaab spokesman, Sheikh Abulaziz Abu Muscab, told Al Jazeera that the attack was in retaliation for Kenyan troops entering Somalia and that the timing was deliberately chosen to be a surprise attack. al-Shabaab warned of further attacks should Kenyan not pull out from Somalia. On the day the operation ended, Rage threatened further "black days" if Kenya did not withdraw its troops from Somalia and said that the siege was just "a taste of what we will do."

Reactions

Domestic

President Uhuru Kenyatta said on national television that Kenya had "overcome terrorist attacks before" and vowed to "hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to". The Ministry of Interior released a statement that read: "It is a possibility that it is an attack by terrorists, so we are treating the matter very seriously." Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said that al-Shabab was "not acting alone" and the assault was "part of an international terrorism campaign;" she also said "two or three" U.S. citizens and a Briton were among the attackers. "Al-Shabab are looking for relevance on an international scale – especially after a change of leadership – and is looking to send the message that they are still a force to be reckoned with."

Senator Billow Kerrow from Mandera County, Nairobi said: "It's too early to know what kind of people these are, but from what we are getting, these are people who speak in the Swahili language. They are people who seem to know what they are doing, are pretty much organised. It's really quite a shocking thing because from what we're getting, they aren't ordinary thugs."

International

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern and "alarm" and solidarity with the Kenyan authorities. The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms" and called on Kenya to note that any response must comply with international human rights law.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South African president Jacob Zuma and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud condemned the attacks and reiterated that the AU would continue in its fight against Al Shabaab, and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Kenya. The Somali President also cautioned against prejudgement, saying that "we don't have any proof that the people who did this are Somali." AU states Morocco, Tanzania, and Sahrawi Republic President Mohamed Abdelaziz condemned the attack and expressed "sadness and dismay".

The European Union offered "its full support to the Kenyan authorities in dealing with the situation". Britain, France condemned the attack.

Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble condemned the assault and pledged full support to Kenyan authorities in their investigation, offering to deploy an Incident Response Team consisting of specialised forensic officers, counter-terrorism experts, operational assistants and analysts.

Across the world, and in particular the United States, establishments are re-evaluating the adequacy the security measures in commercial installations and other "soft targets" in light of this and other mass-shooting incidents. A number of mall owners have uprated their preventative measures to increase security whilst maintaining a sense of openness.

Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, China Eritrea, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago condemned the attack and expressed their sympathies.

See also

• 2008 Mumbai attacks
• 2002 Mombasa attacks
• 1998 United States embassy bombings
• 2012–13 terrorist attacks in Kenya
• Terrorism in Kenya