Shots fired at Nairobi mall rattle Kenyans a year after Westgate
Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:51pm GMT
(Adds shots fired in the air)
NAIROBI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Guards fired shots in the air after a driver
lost control of his vehicle at a Nairobi mall on Monday when he suffered a
seizure, the mall reported, rattling Kenyans still nervous a year after
Islamist gunmen attacked another shopping centre.
The incident took place at the Galleria mall on the outskirts of the Kenyan
capital. The mall said it was not "a terrorist attack."
The U.S. embassy reported an incident at the mall without any details,
telling citizens to avoid the area. The police could not immediately be
reached for comment.
The driver lost control of his vehicle at the main entrance of the shopping
mall, due to an epileptic fit or seizure, Bizzu Kanja, the mall's general
manager said in a statement.
"Following the incident that ensued, the armed security who are permanently
posted at the Mall discharged their weapons in the air," Kanja said.
The mall was declared safe after a security check, she said.
Kenya media reported panic at the mall when the shots were fired, a
reflection of nerves a year after an attack on the Westgate mall on Sept.
21, 2013. Gunmen linked to the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab carried out
the raid, leaving 67 people dead.
Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several assaults in Nairobi and on
the coast since the attack on Westgate.
The Islamist militants have threatened attacks in east Africa in retaliation
for a U.S. missile strike that killed the rebel group's leader early this
month.
The group said its assault on the Westgate mall was meant to punish Kenya
for sending troops to Somalia to join an African force in an offensive
against al Shabaab.
The militants have demanded that Kenya withdraw its troops from Somalia.
Kenya's government says it will not do so, adding that its forces are
helping keep Kenya secure.
However, the government has also had to fend off criticism that it is not
doing enough to protect Kenya after several attacks on its territory were
claimed by al Shabaab. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Duncan Miriri;
Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by James Macharia and Toby Chopra)