Even as Al-Shabab terrorists were creating mayhem at Nairobi's most upmarket shopping mall turning it into a scene of carnage on Saturday, they were merrily tweeting to say that the 'mujahideen' had entered the mall and were targeting 'kuffars' (infidels).
The terrorists tweeted:
HSM Press Office @HSM_Press:
"The Mujahideen entered Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the Kenyan Kuffar inside their own turf"
"Since our last contact, the Mujahideen inside the mall confirmeed to @HSM_Press that they killed over 100 Kenya kuffar & battle is ongoing"
"What Kenyans are witnessing at Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military, albeit largely miniscule in nature"
Local television stations were asked to stop live coverage as the firing went on till late in the night, with the Kenyan army closing in on the attackers.
Al Shabab said on Twitter: ‘The message we are sending to the Kenyan govt & Public is and has always been just one: remove all your forces from our country.'
The terrorists stormed the Westgate Mall and sprayed shoppers with bullets. Witnesses said the attackers told all Muslims to leave as they were only after non-Muslims.
Those shoppers who tried to leave were asked by the terrorists to name the Prophet Mohammed's mother. If they failed to give her correct name of Amina they were shot dead, said one eye witness.
After Muslim shoppers had left the mall, the terrorists reportedly threw grenades and fired AK-47s.
The top floor car park at Westgate, Nairobi's swankiest shopping centre, was busier than usualon Saturday. A film crew was recording MasterChef Junior and the play area's bouncy castle and trampolines were packed with dozens of children. Inside, the multistorey mall was crowded with shoppers.
Karani Nyemo was walking to his car with his two daughters when the shooting started. They began to run.
There were short bursts of automatic rifle fire punctuated by grenade blasts. "They were throwing grenades like maize to chickens," said the software engineer. He pushed his girls under the car as people around him were hit by bullets. One of my girls kept calling out to me, 'I want to go', but there was nothing I could do."
A grenade landed right next to his car, only a few feet from one of his daughters, Nyemo said, but it didn't explode.
