Four thunderous explosions rattled Nairobis besieged upscale mall as Kenyan forces closed in on Islamist terrorists holding hostages Monday,three days after a raid by Somalias al-Shabaab killed at least 62 people. Pakistani terror trainer behind Kenyan mall attack? Top Kenyan officials said two hostage takers,part of a multinational collection from all over the world, had been killed. It remained unclear how many gunmen and hostages were still cornered in the Westgate shopping centre,two hours after a series of loud explosions and gunfire were followed by a plume of black smoke,that grew in volume from one part of the complex. Upscale mall becomes war zone in Kenya terror attack Kenyas interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages has gone very,very well and that Kenyan officials are very certain that there are few,if any,hostages left in the building. "7/7 bomber's widow led attack" LONDON: The wife of one of the deadly 2005 London bombings prime suspects,dubbed the White Widow,was on Monday linked to the ongoing siege at Westgate in Kenya. Press Trust of India reported that Samantha Lewthwaite,widow of bomber Jermaine Lindsay,was reportedly spotted shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic during the attack on Westgate in Nairobi,according to a media report. The 29-year-old is reportedly a member of Shabaab and is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terror cell. Kenya terror attack: PM Manmohan Singh condemns Nairobi carnage According to Daily Mirror,she is a British soldiers daughter and a convert to Islam married to Lindsay when he carried out the London suicide bombings in 2005. PTI Lenku told a news conference that the militants - all men,although some wore womens clothing during the assault - had set a fire with mattresses in a supermarket on the malls lower floors. Two terrorists had been killed Monday,he added. Kenya terror attack: Obama offers support to Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta Kenyas Chief of Defence forces,Gen. Julius Karangi,said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by al-Shabaab,an al Qaeda-linked Somali group. Karangi said Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall,although terrorists could still be hiding inside. Security officials near the scene said the blasts heard at lunchtime were caused by Kenyan forces blasting a way in after President Uhuru Kenyatta Sunday dismissed a demand that he pull Kenyan forces out of neighbouring Somalia. The four explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire,then a thick,dark column of smoke that burned for roughly 90 minutes. Military and police helicopters and one plane circled over the mall,giving the upscale neighborhood the feel of a war zone. An alleged commander in the al Shabaab Monday denied press reports that Westerners were involved in the hostage standoff at the Nairobi mall. The man,who claimed he had been in contact with the Islamist attackers inside the Westgate shopping centre,also said the militants would not negotiate an end to the siege. The man,who called himself Abu Omar,was speaking to BBC radio after several British newspapers reported that Samantha Lewthwaite,the widow of one of the suicide bombers in the 2005 attacks on the London transport network,could have masterminded the attack. There are some rumours spreading around that say there have been American,British and other attackers of different nationalities involved, Abu Omar said. I can confirm to you that none of that is true,I know that is baseless rumours that have no justification for them. He claimed that women would never be involved in perpetrating such attacks. We do not employ our sisters to carry out military attacks, he said. Weve spoken to the mujahid inside Westgate and they told us that the Kenyan government was urging them to negotiate and was also giving them some incentives to come to the dialogue table. Every mujahid goes out to fight in the only true way. he wants to die for the sake of Allah to achieve martyrdom.
