The Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday, Sept. 21 2013, after gunmen threw grenades and opened fire on the centre when it was full of shoppers.
Some of the videos on WestGate Shooting on 2013.09.21
Local security officials said the violence broke out after gunmen threw hand grenades inside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi on Saturday.
Witnesses say gunfire broke out inside the mall and spread outside after police arrived to confront the assailants. Some witnesses who fled the mall say the attack may have been a failed bank robbery attempt.
However, Nairobi police chief, Benson Kibue, said the attackers had been trying to rob a shop within the mall when the shooting began.
Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government said in a statement that security forces and law enforcement agencies were trying to ensure safety of those people who still remained trapped in the mall.
"We're doing our job to ensure that everyone is evacuated to safety. This is a scene of crime." the statement added.
The Westgate Mall is located in Nairobi’s wealthy Westlands area and is frequently visited by rich Kenyans and expatriates.
Some Picture
A gun battle inside a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi has left at least 20 people dead, the Kenyan Red Cross says.
The gunmen attacked the Westgate centre - one of the city's most exclusive. Dozens of shoppers fled; many are still feared trapped inside.
A senior police officer originally said it was an attempted robbery but later called it a possible terrorist attack.
The Somali militant group al-Shabab had threatened to strike the centre.
It is opposed to Kenya sending troops to fight in Somalia. No group has said it carried out Saturday's attack.
Officers have now surrounded the building in an attempt to evacuate remaining shoppers. A military helicopter has landed nearby.
Police told AFP news agency that gunmen had taken at least seven people hostage. Eyewitnesses have also said there are hostages, but there is no official confirmation.
Dozens of people are reported to have been injured.
Eyewitnesses say masked attackers threw grenades into the building at about midday local time (09:00 GMT).
Nairobi police chief Benson Kibue initially said the gunmen had been trying to rob a shop, but later called it "a terrorist attack".
At about 15:30 GMT, more than six hours after the attack began, the Kenyan Secretary for the Interior Joseph ole Lenku said the security situation was "under control".
He urged the public "not to speculate" about the nature of the attack, and said most people had been evacuated.
The BBC's Anne Soy, who is at the scene, said there are reports one of the gunmen has been shot dead.
Some of the attackers were reportedly dressed in hijabs, and it is unclear whether they were men or women, our correspondent says.
One man who escaped had been hiding in a supermarket but told our correspondent his friends were still trapped inside the building.
Witnesses told news agencies the gunmen ordered Muslims to leave and that non-Muslims would be targeted.
The Kenyan authorities have asked media outlets to stop broadcasting from the scene, as the information may be aiding the attackers.
Arjen Westra, who was drinking coffee at the time of the attack, told the BBC he thought the cafe he was in was being targeted by the gunmen.
"I could hear the gunfire moving towards the main entrance of the shopping mall, so some people ran out of our cafe in a kind of panic, and quite a number just fell down as flat as possible on the ground."
Security guards used shopping trolleys to wheel out several wounded children and at least one man, AP reports.
"The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. There are definitely many casualties," Sudjar Singh, who works at the shopping centre, told AFP.
"I saw three of the attackers dressed in black and with covered faces and they were carrying heavy rifles," said another witness.
AFP quoted witnesses as saying the gunmen were speaking Arabic or Somali and executed shoppers.
One Nairobi resident, Anupa, who lives near the scene, told the BBC: "I heard the exchange of fire when it happened, and I heard what I thought was a grenade, but I didn't go outside. The whole area is cordoned off."
Armed police took cover behind vehicles outside. "We have officers at the scene trying to get out the group shooting inside," a police official told AFP news agency.
"Officers are approaching the situation with caution because there are innocent civilians inside," he said.
The Westgate centre is often frequented by wealthy Kenyans and expatriates. Police have urged residents to stay away from the area and told media outlets to stop live transmissions from the scene.
Source: BBC, PRESSTV, CNN, THE TELEGRAPH, METRO, YOUTUBE
