on this sunday night, deadly terror attacks. authorities in kenya storm a shopping mall where islamic extremists are still holding dozens of hostages. more than 35 hours after the massacre began. and tonight, the u.s. is looking at whether americans are involved in the attack. fight over guns. the president makes another push for more gun control after the washington navy yard shootings, while others say the country needs to focus more on mental health. in the running, what hillary clinton says about her 2016 plans. in her first interview since leaving the state department. and from the heart. a remarkable story of love and war and the letter from a father that finally arrived seven decades later.

>> good evening. loud explosions were heard tonight in the kenyan capital of nairobi where government troops are trying to end a bloody seize by terrorists at a popular shopping mall that has left at least 68 people dead. the well coordinated attack began yesterday when more than a dozen gunmen believed to be affiliated with the somali extremist group tossed hand grenades and sprayed gun fire on crowds of saturday shoppers. apparently targeting nonmuslims. as many as 30 people are still being held hostage but many others are rescued. the it passes the 35-hour mark. tonight we've learned the fbi is looking into claims that some of the attackers might be americans. nbc's ron allen is in nairobi and that's where we begin

tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. it has been a day or of sporadic battles between armed men and women still holed up in the mall behind me. there are also media reports indicating there could be as many as 30 hostages still trapped. everyone is being kept several hundred yards away from the mall for safety reasons. tonight there are indications that kenyan government is taking steps to bring all of this to an end. as evening fell, police in military helicopters flew low and slow over the besieged westgate mall. several explosions were heard. government troops could be seen moving into more aggressive positions. the government has insisted the militants have been contained inside the mall. but late today, the militant group linked to al qaeda that has claimed responsibility for the attack tweeted, kenyan forces tried to storm the building but failed miserably. the militants say they're attacking in retaliation for kenya sending troops into

somalia where the fighters are from. based on tweets from the militant group claiming it has u.s. citizens in its ranks, the u.s. is looking into whether americans are involved in carrying out the attack. earlier, kenya's president visited hospitals filled with the wounded where there is an urgent appeal for blood. and he personally shared the grief of the nation, revealing a nephew and his fiance died in the bloodshed. >> these are young lovely people i personally knew and loved. >> reporter: today president obama called him to express his condolences and support. and later, secretary of state john kerry added this. >> it represents the seriousness and the he think breadth and the challenge we face with ruthless and completely reckless terrorists. >> reporter: that as today, new video showing the terrifying attack in the mall was released.

capturing the moment when gunmen burst into the crowded mall around noon saturday. the video shows shoppers fleeing for their lives during a hail of gunshots, lasting a period of several minutes. an american attorney who moved to kenya in july from north carolina says she hid from the gunmen for four hours. >> you could hear while we were back there, the methodically ended up going from store to store, talking to people, asking questions, shooting, screams, and then it would stop for a while. and then it would go to another store. >> reporter: tyler hicks, "the new york times" photographer who covers war zones and lives nearby raced to the mall when he saw the crowd trying to escape the mayhem. >> it seemed like anywhere you looked there would be another body. terrified people were crying, screaming, running for their lives. >> reporter: hopeful relatives and friends converged on the community center where they're trying to figure out what happened to the many still

unaccounted for. u.s. officials say several american citizens were injured in the attack. and the wife of a retired u.s. diplomat was killed. she was not a u.s. citizen. meanwhile, the deadly stand-off here continues. lester? >> ron allen in nairobi. joining us for this, justice correspondent pete williams and nbc news counter terrorism analyst, the former director of the national counter terrorism center. let's begin with you, pete. what are you hearing in. >> members of the terror group behind the attack claim that at least six people involved in the shooting are americans. from minnesota, kansas, arizona, illinois and maine and they've named names. at this point there is simply no way to know whether these claims are true. the senior fbi official says law enforcement authorities in the u.s. are actively looking into them. the first step is checking with their families here on their whereabouts. even finding out they're overseas or missing doesn't mean they were part of the shooting.

that answer can only come once it is all over and the attackers are identified. for at least a decade, americans have been joining up with them headed to somalia to fight government there but dozens of others have joined up from other states. >> and let me turn to michael to ask what this organization has in this country. here in new york we're watching security stepped up for the beginning of the united nations general assembly. this was a low tech attack. do they have the capability and desire to attack the u.s.? >> as pete said, the u.s. intelligence community has been focused on americans going since about 2007. and there have been several dozen americans who have gone there and those have been the individuals we've been most concerned about because of their ability to travel to the west and their knowledge of the west. the organization has not proven itself terribly capable of launching terrorist attacks outside of the region, although

it is responsible for the 2010 world cup bombing in uganda and other plotting toward london. so at this point, i think the precautions that you see in new york and elsewhere are really just that. the organization although able to strike in kenya, probably is not well positioned to do so far away from that region. >> thank you. this was a deadly day in pakistan where two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside an anglican church . hundreds of worshippers streamed out of church. more than 140 were wounded. it was described as the deadliest attack ever against pakistan's christian minority. a wing of the taliban claimed responsibility. people on the southern coast of china are being warned to take precautions as a powerful typhoon hits that country. earlier today, the storm brought winds of more than 100 miles per hour to hong kong. it was weakening as it moved away from the island but still

had the potential to bring heavy rains, high winds and a storm surge to low-lying areas. in this country, no let-up from a wave have violence that swept across chicago in recent days. police say at least 20 people were shot and five killed since friday. the latest violence follows the shooting of 13 people, including a 3-year-old boy in a chicago park on thursday. this weekend, illinois's governor, pat quinn, said he would consider sending the national guard and state police to fight the violence if chicago officials asked for help. in washington, president obama attend ad memorial service this afternoon for the 12 people killed by a gunman at the washington navy yard where he renewed his call on congress to pass stricter gun laws. nbc's kristin welker is at the white house with the latest on all this. >> reporter: good evening. during that emotional memorial service, president obama said it is up to the american people to bring about change on the issue of guns in washington. but on capitol hill, that

doesn't seem to be the priority right now. the familiar sights and sounds of a communicate ripped apart by gun violence. what has become a painful national ritual. >> as president, i am now grieved with five american communities gripped apart by mass violence. ft. hood, tucson, aurora, sandy hook, and now the washington navy yard. >> reporter: today president obama once again offered words of support. this time to families devastated by last week's navy yard shooting which claimed 12 lives. >> once more, our hearts are broken. once more we ask why. >> reporter: the president again called for change. >> sometimes i fear there is a creeping resignation that these tragedies are just somehow the way it is. that this is somehow the new

normal. we can't accept this. >> reporter: he also acknowledged the politics are an obstacle. he indicated the nation needs better security, not new laws. >> the problem is there weren't enough good guys with guns. when the good guys with guns got there, it stopped. >> reporter: and he says the nation's mental health system is in complete breakdown. >> if we leave these homicidal maniacs on the street, they don't obey the law, they could care less about it. they're going to kill. >> reporter: senator joe manchin acknowledged lawmaker don't have the appetite to revive the gun debate right now. >> i'm not going out there to beat the drum for the sake of beating the drum. >> reporter: but her daughter was killed in aurora. >> we need to and fanned background checks so this doesn't continue to happen. >> reporter: gun control

advocates say they are bolstered by polls that show american support it. meanwhile president obama said he had called for a review of security measures at military facilities. lester? >> all right. thanks. although the president still has more than three years in office, the question of who might succeed him has been thrust back into the news by a newly published interview with hillary clinton. andrea mitchell has that story for us tonight. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: she's out of office but hardly out of mind. hillary clinton presumed 2016 democratic front-runner, now for the first time conceding she might run. telling new york magazine, i think it is a serious decision, not to be made lightly but also not one that has to be made soon. >> she has come out on the record saying she is thinking about it, weighing it, she is presenting herself as a more experienced leader. >> reporter: in the article clinton begins to distance herself very carefully from president obama, saying, aid very positive set of inlt actions, even when i disagreed, which obviously occurred.

because obviously i have my own opinions, my own views. clinton's former aides say she has learned from her mistakes in 2008. veteran clinton watchers say barring a health problem, she is in. >> i think the opportunity to become president of the united states, and really to make history as the first female president, is an opportunity that will be ultimately very hard for her to resist. >> reporter: with a ready for hill political action committee already in place, even the anticipation of a clinton run is freezing out other democratic contenders like joe biden and clinton is already backed by many party leaders. >> i don't know. i know if she does, she will win and when she becomes president, she'll be one of the best eequipment, best prepared people to enter the white house in a very long time. >> reporter: although clinton's husband still says she has not yet decided. >> i think she would be the first to tell that you there is no such thing as a done deal ever by anybody. i don't know what she's going to do. >> reporter: of course the minute she announces, clinton becomes an immediate target for

opponents on all sides. it may have well cost her the nomination last time. another reason for the slow rollout of the hill 2016 campaign. lester? >> andrea mitchell, thanks. when "nbc nightly news" continues, the role of mental health in trying to prevent mass shootings. and later, an incredible love story. the ending finally written seven decades later. help the gulf recover and learn from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger. i'm on expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for,

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troubled young men who gave warning signs but apparently fell through cracks in what some say is a flawed system. a report from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: aaron alexis had violent outbursts and told police he had anger management issues as far back as nine years but was never formally diagnosed with a mental illness. the navy contractor showed signs of a psychiatric disorder. >> this has gone undetected and untreated until finally, it pushed them to this violent behavior. >> reporter: one of the most recent signs, last month alexis told police in newport, rhode island, he heard voices talking to him through walls, floor and ceiling of the hotel room and could not fall asleep. the police said they sent the report to the newport naval base. but pentagon officials said it never went up the chain of command. soon after alexis did go to two v.a. hospitals but complained of

and was treated for insomnia. >> if mental health care was provided in the routine systematic way that general medical care was, ideally we would have expected that he would have been identified, diagnosed and offered treatment much earlier. >> reporter: in fact, the nonprofit treatment advocacy center gives more than half the states a grade of c or below in their efforts to help the mentally ill before they might commit a crime. >> we can't arrest people just because they're psychotic. they shnl be arrested any more than we would arrest someone with a heart attack. but they should get treatment. >> reporter: while most people with mental illness never turn to violence, mental health advocates say half or more of those responsible for mass shootings in recent years have suffered from a serious mental illness. dr. michael stone of columbia university has studied the behavior and symptoms of almost 300 mass murderers. he says aaron alexis should have been hospitalized last month

after hearing voices. >> he really constituted a threat to violence, but he was not saying i'm going to go out and kill somebody. he didn't say the magic words, so to speak. >> reporter: a caution that the system needs to do a better job of reaching the severely mentally ill before it is too late again. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. up next, as we continue this sunday night, a mighty effort to move forward after the floods in colorado. [ male announcer ] what?! investors could lose tens of thousands of dollars

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went off without a hitch. a nine-block trimt had been set up to make sure no one was injured as the building was demolished. owners of the site are planning a new retail development. a lot of new building has started in northern colorado where more highways reopened this weekend after the devastating flooding of the last two weeks. that's good news for those struggling to get ready for the important fall tourism season. our report from nbc's joe friar. >> reporter: images of the mountainous landscape surrounding the area are worthy of a guide book. pictures of the flood ravaged roads are not. >> this has not just been for northern california, i think the biggest natural disaster we've ever seen. >> reporter: this tourist town, the gateway rocky national park is still cleaning up. after many businesses spent days under several feet of flood water. ernie is seeing his merchandise

out to dry as he works to reopen outdoor world as quick as possible. >> it is discouraging. what do you do? you have to move forward. >> reporter: we're entering an important time of year for estes park when it come to tour i. for starters, the fall colors are usually a huge draw. so are the elk out in abundance this time of year. >> it will be tough to miss all of that. >> reporter: julie peeper had to close both her restaurants. it is not just damage inside the town raising concerns. the primary roads to estes park go to places that will be totally cut off for some time. tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry in colorado, and unharmed attractions across the state fear images of flooding will keep visitors away. here, many seem unafraid. >> we've been through thing like this before. we always come back strong and fast. people love it here. >> reporter: they're challenging it with optimism as high as the mountains surround go their tirist town.

nbc news, estes park, colorado. and when we come back, the letter from a father who went to war reach his daughter after seven decades. 21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪ [ male announcer ] staying warm and dry has never been our priority. our priority is, was and always will be serving you, the american people. so we improved priority mail flat rate to give you a more reliable way to ship. now with tracking up to eleven scans, specified delivery dates, and free insurance up to $50 all for the same low rate.

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i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger. . finally tonight, an incredible detective story inspired by an irresistible love story. it is about the love of a father ship off to war for the daughter he never met. expressed in a letter she never saw until yesterday. seven decades after it was written. here's nbc's mike taibbi.

>> reporter: two women embrace in a parking lot. strangers until now. overcome by emotion. >> we'll get through this. we'll get through this. >> reporter: 69-year-old peggy smith on the right has learned from donna gregory of a three-page letter written to gregory weeks after her death by her soldier father, john farrell eddington. at 25, the missouri man had left his pregnant wife helen to join the italy campaign in world war ii and what did peggy know of him? >> i had a dad but he was killed. that's it. that's all i knew. >> reporter: the letter and the purple heart he received after he was killed in action were among several items in a home she was helping to empty 13 years ago. for all those years, she told the crowd in dayton, nevada, she searched relentlessly for peggy or any relatives. her hundreds of messages and phone calls falling short. >> when i would think i had possibly found a relative, i

would end that phone call and i would cry. >> reporter: another dead end. >> another dead end. >> reporter: then in the social media age, she turned to facebook and posted, i did it. i finally found her. connecting one message to a long ago phone call that led to this. a 2,000 mile journey to nevada with a patriot guard escort to finally meet peggy. >> the letter is dated february 27th. >> reporter: and her request to read the letter that started it all. >> your daddy loves you so very much and always will no matter where i am. >> reporter: tears all around. a doomed soldier's run for the 3-week old daughter he would never meet. >> i will see you as soon as possible. >> reporter: in a country of over 300 million, two we will find each other. the one finally permitted to love her father and to feel his love for her. >> i feel the emotion because i know he loved my mom. and he was so happy about a little girl. >> reporter: because a stranger did something extraordinarily human. and got the equivalent in

return. some story seven decades in the making. mike taibbi, nbc news, dayton, nevada. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. coming right up, sunday night football here on nbc. the bears against the steelers. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york for all of us here at nbc news, good night.

58 degrees on a late september night at heinz field in pittsburgh, where tonight it's a meeting between two storied franchises and there's a hint of desperation in the air as the steelers are looking to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2000. what followed then, of course, was a spectacular run of success highlighted by two super bowl appearances, two of them victories. after struggling through two losses this season, ryan clark and the steelers could be quickly running out of time.