20 killed in Nairobi shopping mall during attack by gunmen

ANOTHER mass shooting…SMH

Gunmen Kill 22 And Wound 50 Others In Attack On Kenyan Shopping Mall

UPDATE:

Via USAToday

Elijah Kamau, who was at the mall at the time of the midday attack, said that the gunmen made a declaration that non-Muslims would be targeted.

“The gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave. They were safe, and non-Muslims would be targeted,” he said.

Manish Turohit, 18, said he saw gunmen with AK-47s and vests with hand grenades on them inside the mall before he escaped to hide in a parking garage for two hours.

“They just came in and threw a grenade. We were running and they opened fire. They were shouting and firing,” he said after being marched out of the mall in line with about 15 people who held their hands in the air.

Via CNN

Gunmen ambushed an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital on Saturday, leading to a fierce gunbattle with police and at least 20 people killed, the Kenyan Red Cross said.

Fifty more people were wounded in the attack at the mall in Nairobi, said Abbas Gullet, head of the Kenyan Red Cross.

The gunmen burst into the mall and shot indiscriminately, taking some people hostage, according to a senior Kenyan government source.

“All of a sudden we heard some shots and people rushing,” said Zulobia Kassam, who was having coffee at the mall. “We realized we were under attack. We rushed to the back, trying to hide and we heard random shots from everywhere — upstairs, downstairs.”

She said they stayed in hiding for about 40 minutes before sneaking out through a back door.

“People were petrified, crying, praying,” she said. “We were told there were hostages being held.”

It was unclear how many hostages the attackers took, but police are trying to negotiate for their release and retake the building, according to the source.

Attackers appear to be of Somali origin, a Kenyan government source and Western diplomatic sources told CNN.

Prayers go out the deceased, wounded, and the families and friends who have been affected. BOSSIP wil have more information as details emerge.

Image via GlobalVillageDirectory