adminKenyan security forces looted merchandise in a Nairobi while storming a shopping centre besieged by al-Shabab fighters, security camera footage appears to show. The video, released on Sunday, showed men in fatigues walking out of the Westgate Mall holding plastic bags filled with unknown items. Others looked behind counters as they moved into the shopping centre.
Kenya’s security forces have denied any wrongdoing and politicians who investigated have already cleared them. The Westgate siege began on September 21 and lasted four days. At least 67 people were killed.
The video appears to support shopkeeper claims that soldiers looted their stores. According to witness reports at the end of the siege, mobile phones were yanked from displays, cash registers emptied and alcohol stolen.
An investigation into a huge fire at Nairobi’s airport in August revealed that first responders had looted electronics, a bank and an ATM during and after the blaze.
Also on Sunday, a body believed to be that of one of the mall attackers was retrieved. Joseph Ole Lenku, the interior minister, said that it was the fourth body that “we know from CCTV footage to be that of a terrorist. DNA and other investigations will confirm their identities”.
Four AK-47 assault rifles believed to have been used by the attackers were also recovered, the statement said. – Al Jazeera
Online Reporter