Archive:BBC/Kenya stand-off—Latest updates

Key Points

 * Heavy gunfire has been heard coming from inside the Westgate shopping centre in Kenya's capital, Nairobi
 * Between 10 and 15 militants believed to be from the Somali al-Shabab Islamist movement are inside the mall
 * At least 68 people have been killed since the assault began on Saturday
 * Officials say a number of civilians are still inside the complex as hostages or because they are trapped
 * At least 175 people were injured in the attack, and more than 1,000 brought out safely

All times GMT

Live Text
Reporters: Anna Jones and Amee Enriquez

All times GMT


 * 07:13: Australian architect Ross Langdon, who had designed an HIV-Aids hospital pro-bono in Kenya, was also among the victims of the attack. The Sydney Morning Herald says: "Mourning friends have remembered... Ross Langdon and his partner Elif Yavuz as a positive, energetic couple who were passionate about helping the communities in East Africa where they had forged a life together."

Oyoya Johanes, Kisumu, Kenya emails: My friend was there but thank GOD he was not killed. He is in the hospital.


 * 07:08: Mr Ruto went on trial at the International Criminal Court earlier this month, accused of orchestrating violence after Kenya's disputed elections in December 2007.


 * 07:04: Anna Holligan BBC News, The Hague adds Mr Ruto's lawyer, Karim Khan, argued Mr Ruto had a duty to be present in Nairobi to deal with the terror attack. Given the circumstances that are still developing at the Westgate Mall, no-one in court had any objection, our correspondent adds. William Ruto's lawyer said there was a flight at 11:00 local time (09:00GMT) that the deputy president hoped to catch.


 * 06:56: Canadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges, 29, was one of the victims of the attack. The Globe and Mail says she was "a rising star and had taken on a new role with the Canada Border Services Agency and calmly embraced visits to refugee camps across East Africa".


 * 06:54: Anna Holligan BBC News, The Hague reports that the International Criminal Court, where Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto is on trial for crimes against humanity, has adjourned for a week to allow Mr Ruto to fly back to Nairobi to help deal with the crisis.

Anita Kattakuzhy, Nairobi tweets: woke up hoping and then sat on my balcony watching helicopters circling and hearing sirens. please let this end today #westgate

Gabriel, Nairobi Emails: It is really sad for Kenya and very terrifying for Nairobi residents especially we within the Parklands area. The helicopters and planes are now a common feature in the sky. Am so sad.

At a news conference on Sunday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the country was united and strong in adversity: "With the professionals on site, we have as good a chance to neutralise the terrorists as we could hope for."


 * 06:42: Brief but intense gunfire accompanied by at least two blasts have been heard coming from inside the Westgate shopping centre, a Reuters witness reports.


 * 06:36: Matt Bryren added: "The preparations and the planning for the operation went undetected by the intelligence and law enforcement community."


 * 06:36: Matt Bryren, a former UN investigator on al-Shabab, says this attack is alarming but not unexpected: "This is an action that has been anticipated for some time. It has not been a secret in security circles that al-Shabab aspired to conduct this type of attack. No-one could anticipate when al-Shabab would be ready for an attack of this nature," he told BBC Radio Five Live.


 * 06:27: The multi-storey upscale Westgate Shopping Mall is owned by an Israeli businessman. It has restaurants, cafes, banks, a large supermarket and a cinema.

Kenya's privately-owned TV station NTV has issued a traffic advisory on its Twitter account: "Peponi and Ring roads remain closed after @WestgateMallKe attack. Motorists and pedestrians advised to use alternative routes."


 * 06:24: UK Prime Minister David Cameron has cut short a visit to the Queen's residence in Scotland, Balmoral, to return to Downing Street to chair an emergency meeting following the Nairobi attack.

Ogarao Jared, Chepilat, Kenya Emails: This has really affected our peaceful country and the world in general. Let us support the victims, their family and friends in all sectors especially in prayers and may the attackers know that killing is not a solution even those who may want to attack as there is no gain.


 * 06:17: Who are al-Shabab? Previously ran much of southern Somalia; they lost some popular support by banning Western aid agencies during the 2011 famine there; they are estimated to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters.

Bill Kirsch tweets: Just left Kenya. We had talked about going to the Wesgate mall last Sat. Glad we didn't. Pray for the families affected. #WestgateAttack


 * 05:57: Prominent Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor - who was attending a literary festival in Nairobi - has been killed in the siege. Chinese, French, Dutch, South African, Indian and Canadian nationals are also among the foreigners confirmed killed, along with a dual Australian-British national.


 * 05:42: Mohamed Dahir added that the gunmen were "shooting sometimes in the air, sometimes they were shooting the crowd who were running away from the mall".

"And then we ran up to the windows and tried to establish what was happening. We saw a gunman," he said.
 * 05:36: Nairobi resident Mohamed Dahir, who is of Somali origin, was at the shopping centre when the attacks happened on Saturday. He told the BBC's Newsday that "all of a sudden this big explosion happened".


 * 05:30: Relatives of Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta - his nephew and the nephew's fiancee - were among those who died during the attack, that started on Saturday.


 * 05:22: He added that it was difficult to find out what was going on, but something was happening inside.


 * 05:20: There is a flurry of activity at the shopping centre, the BBC's Komla Dumor, who is in Nairobi, says.

Mike Wooldridge BBC News, Nairobi The military have said that they are making every effort to bring the siege at the Westgate shopping centre to a speedy conclusion but they have also emphasised that it is a delicate operation as the safe rescue of the hostages is their top priority.

0509: The Kenyan military said last night that they had secured most of the building and rescued most of the hostages, but that a small number remained in the hands of the militants.
 * 05:10: The number of hostage-takers has been put at between 10 and 15, says the BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Nairobi.


 * 05:02: The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Nairobi confirms that heavy gunfire and explosions were heard from the shopping mall this morning, where security forces are trying to bring an end to the siege.


 * 05:00: Kenyan officials have said that more than 175 people have been injured, including children, since the stand-off began.


 * 04:58: The Associated Press news agency also reports on sustained gunfire on Monday at the mall. It said that "at least one gunman was still free and that the standoff continued".


 * 04:51: People from 10 different countries are known to be among the victims at the Westgate shopping centre.


 * 04:47: A witness interviewed by Reuters news agency said the gunfire was followed by a gap before small explosions.


 * 04:42: Al-Shabab means The Youth in Arabic. The group emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia's now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts in 2006, as it fought Ethiopian forces who had entered Somalia to back the weak interim government. Read more about them in our Q&A.

Rizwan Ibrahim, Nairobi tweets: International press not too far away from #westgate and giving live updates via social media about their surroundings. Things are tense


 * 04:40: Kenya's military spokesman, Col Cyrus Oguna, did not comment when asked about the gunfire, Reuters news agency reports.


 * 04:26: Witnesses have reported heavy and sustained gunfire, and explosions from inside the mall.


 * 04:26: At least 68 people have been killed at the shopping centre since the assault by suspected militants from the Somali al-Shabab Islamist group began their assault.


 * 04:25: Welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing siege at the Westgate shopping centre in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. There have been reports of heavy gunfire in the early hours.

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