Kenya Terror Attack: Hostages Held In Mall

Up to 15 gunmen remain inside a Kenyan shopping centre after a terrorist attack left dozens of people dead, including at least three Britons.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said 59 people are known to have been killed by attackers who burst into the upmarket Westgate mall in the capital Nairobi armed with guns and grenades.

Some of those killed were executed after failing to recite a Muslim prayer at gunpoint. Others were shot at the entrance to the mall as they tried to escape.

A Foreign Office spokesman said three Britons were among those killed and warned the number is likely to rise.

Hundreds of shoppers were caught up in the attack

Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "despicable attack", saying it was an act of "appalling brutality".

"Because the situation is ongoing, we should prepare ourselves for further bad news," he added.

More than 1,000 people have so far been evacuated from the shopping centre but an unknown number remain inside.

Security forces took control of the upper and lower levels of the building, as well as its CCTV cameras, but an army spokesman told Sky News they were yet to secure the second floor where the terrorists may be hiding.

Some of the injured were carried from the mall on shopping trolleys

Other reports suggested the gunmen were holed up in a toilet block next to a supermarket on the ground floor of the complex.

Witnesses reported hearing fierce gunfire and explosions on Sunday morning, as police and the military tried to reach the remaining hostages.

The mall, in western Nairobi, is popular with both expatriates and wealthy Kenyans.

Two Canadians have been confirmed dead in the attack, while two French citizens are understood to be among those killed.

The Somalia-based al Shabaab terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of more attacks.

Armed security staff went from shop to shop looking for the attackers

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta spoke to the nation in a televised address, saying his country had "overcome terrorist attacks before, and we will defeat them again".

"Terrorism is a philosophy of cowards, he added. "They want to cause fear and despondency in our country, but we will not be cowed."

Saadia Ahmed, a radio presenter from Nairobi caught up in the attack, said the attackers released people who were able to prove they were Muslim.

"I witnessed a few people get up and say something in Arabic and the gunmen let them go. A colleague of mine said he was Muslim and recited something in Arabic and they let him go as well.

People took cover behind cars as the stand-off continued into the night

"I saw a lot of children and elderly people being shot dead. I don't understand why you would shoot a five-year-old child. They were firing at random at anyone who tried to escape."

Another survivor, Cecile Ndwiga, said she had been hiding under a car in the basement of the car park.

"I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me because I couldn't walk out," she said.

Nahashon Mwangi was at work when he received a desperate telephone call from his son from inside the mall.

The Westgate shopping centre is located in the centre of Nairobi

"Dad, I have been shot in the neck and hand. I am bleeding. Come and help me please," his son told him.

When he called later, his son, who survived the attack, replied: "Don't call me again. I just want you to get me out of here. If they hear me talking, they are going to kill me."

:: A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000.

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