At least 59 people have been killed and more than 175 injured in an ongoing attack on a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, with 10-15 gunmen reportedly still in the building.
The attack began at around midday local time (09:00 GMT) when a group of heavily armed militants entered the Westgate shopping centre firing automatic weapons and throwing grenades.
Witnesses then say that the militants said that any Muslims in the building should identify themselves so they could leave unharmed. Elijah Lamau told BBC News that the militants said:
“If you are Muslim, stand up. We’ve come to rescue you”
The militants then made anyone claiming to be a Muslim to recite a prayer to prove their faith, before allowing them to leave with their hands raised.
Among those dead are three Britons, two Canadians, including a diplomat, two French citizens, a Chinese citizen, and Kofi Awoonor, a prominent Ghanian poet who was in Nairobi for a literary festival.
Islamic militant group al-Shabab has claimed credit for the attack, with the group apparently live tweeting the event from the now suspended Twitter account @HSM_Press. The tweets published by the group before their account suspension said:
HSM has on numerous occasions warned the #Kenyan government that failure to remove its forces from Somalia would have severe consequences.
The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar (infidels) inside their own turf.
What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military.
The attack at #WestGateMall just a very tiny fraction of what Muslims in Somalia experience at the hands of Kenyan invaders.
An unknown number of hostages remain within the building with the gunmen, with more than a thousand managing to flee over the last 24 hours, including some by making their way through the air conditioning system to avoid the militants.
