{{Gunmen who attacked a Nairobi shopping mall on Saturday have taken at least seven hostages, police and security guards at the scene told reporters.}}
“They have seven hostages, confirmed,” an officer said as police were engaged in an operation to clear the mall shop-by-shop and evacuate terrified people caught up in the incident.
The gunmen stormed the upmarket mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff, killing at least six, reporters and witnesses said.
Several attackers and trapped civilians were believed to still be inside the large four-storey shopping centre more than two hours after the attack began, and heavy fire was heard as police units moved in.
Police and ambulances surrounded the Westgate mall, which is popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates and would have been packed with families on a sunny weekend day.
Terrified people could be seen running away from the compound clutching children while others crawled along walls to avoid stray bullets.
Kenneth Kerich, who was shopping when the attack happened, described scenes of panic.
“I suddenly heard gunshots and saw everyone running around so we [lay] down. I saw two people who were lying down and bleeding, I think they were hit by bullets,” he said.
“Initially we thought it is police fighting thugs. But we could not leave until when officers walked in, shot in the air and told us to get out.”
The motive of the attack was not immediately clear, but Kenyan media said the attackers, who witnesses said were black-clad and masked, may have been either armed robbers or “terrorists”.
AFP
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