After days of suspense during the terrorist siege at Nairobi's Westgate mall, the country is entering three days of mourning while investigators search for a cause and for the hundreds still missing inside
The United States, Israel, Britain and Canada are among the countries helping Kenyan authorities identify those responsible for the four-day attack, in which at least 72 people were killed, Kenya’s interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said.u00a0
The mourning begins: A woman is comforted by a relative after identifying the body of her son at the city mortuary in Nairobi. Officials said the mortuaries were overcrowded and they had no space left, as an increasing number of bodies were being brought in. Pic/AFP
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Al-Shabab claimed the true death toll in the attack was 137 as the bodies had been buried under the debris of the mall. They also added that Kenyan forces had used “chemical agents” to end the siege in a “morally reprehensible manner”.
The group has said the assault was retribution for a 2011 push by Kenya into Somalia.
Across the world, malls mull security boosts
The deadly assault on a luxury Nairobi mall on Saturday has sent shock waves around the world, raising concerns about security at shopping centres amid fears of copycat violence or other terror attacks. US shopping centre firms are considering ramping up security measures at thousands of malls across the country, industry sources said. Officials may also increase the police presence at many shopping complexes by enlisting off-duty officers to stand guard and defend against incursions
Man gets shot while trying to shield boy
A safari company owner was shot during the Nairobi massacre while trying to shield a young boy from the gunmen. Simon Belcher was with his wife, Amanda, at the Westgate shopping centre, when it was attacked by terrorists. The couple hid under a vehicle in the top floor car park, but as Belcher tried to protect a four-year-old boy who had also taken cover, he was shot in the shoulder. The bullet passed into his stomach. Belcher is in the hospital and is facing surgery.
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