Al-Shabab, the terrorist group subdued Tuesday by Kenyan forces at the Westgate mall in Nairobi, tweeted accusations that the forces used chemical weapons to gain control.
The group’s Twitter account was suspended after some threatening tweets it issued on Saturday, Sept. 21, the day the attack and hostage situation began. The tweets on Wednesday were made from a different account, assumed to be genuine.
Kenyan government spokesman Manoah Espisu said no chemical weapons were used: “Al-Shabab is known for wild allegations and there is absolutely no truth to what they’re saying.”
He said the terrorists caused part of the mall to collapse.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a national address Tuesday that the civilian death toll is 61, with six security officers dead. Kenya’s Daily Nation reports five terrorists were killed and 11 arrested. The death toll is expected to rise as authorities go through the mall.
A top security official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that even as the president announced “we have ashamed and defeated our attackers,” three shots were fired in the mall, according to Fox News.
Kenya’s foreign minister, Amina Mohamed, said some Americans and a Briton were among the terrorists, reports Fox.
Mohamed told PBS' “News Hour” the two or three Americans were 18 to 19 years old and of Somali or Arab origin. Al-Shabab is a Somalian group linked to al-Qaeda. The terrorists claimed their attack on the upscale mall was in retaliation for Kenayan military action in Somalia.
Al-Shabab Tweets
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
