the battle for control of the westgate shopping center as night falls in nairobi. sustained gun fire and explosions were heard all day, we'll have the very latest in the scene from the kenyan capital. >>> also this 84, suspended of their assets, the court contraction down on the muslim brotherhood. >> i'm barbara sera in london. angela merkel starts a new term but insists germany's monetary policy won't change. >>> kenyan are military is continuing into the night, at least 63 people including three fighters according to the kenyan are government. the group al shabaab carried out the attack. >> the final stage to a siege hathat has cost so many lives. stretched to a break point, the military engaged in an operation they say saved lives. then this. persistent heavy gun fire, the thick pall of smoke has been there for an hour or more and this does look like the final stages about the no one's exactly sure exactly what the situation is. the interior ministry say the al shabaab is responsible for this, it detonated when. >> has never been higher. and we want to say that

can you tell us more about westgate mall? >> well, westgate is a very modern mall. there are lots of restaurant areas and shops like nike, clocks that have just come in, and the supermarket is a huge supermarket on the ground floor. on the other levels, there are all these designer shops and restaurant areas, so people having lunch and coffee. there were literally thousands of people at this stage. and all of a sudden, when we heard everybody rushing, and it was terrifying when we heard the shot the random -- randomly being shot, just shooting people randomly on the top floors, and inside, not very far from us, as well. >> just a horrifying experience for you. i'm curious, you said it was a security guard who came to tell you you are now safe to leave. what kind of response was there when you got out? did you see enormous military presence there? and who helped you out as you left? >> at that time there wasn't a military presence. they told us while we were inside that we sort of heard, you know, online, people going on their phone, we're going to get the police and

. >> let's go live to al jazeera's correspondent outside the westgate mall in nairobi. what has been happening out there, what is the scene like right now? >> the gun men are still at the mall. the siege continues. they are still holding hostages. questions are coming about about the security operations and the security in this country, really - how could heavily armed gunmen access the mall. it's in an affluent area, well protected. how could this happen? to explain this is francis, who is a security analyst. please, tell us - we are told that it took 30 minutes for the police to respond to this. do you think the situation could have been averted if they had responded earlier? >> if they responded within the first three minutes, in the international police time line, arresting the situation, instead of going to the extreme it has gone to, it would have been a bit normal. by the time - in about 10-15 minutes they were trying to engage people, the hostages themselves. if the police came in the first 10 minutes they would have been able to engage them in a firefight which

westgate easily accessible from so many roads. there have been security checks, obviously today wasn't a day they came through. >> american resident sara head is in kenya on business and spoke to me last hour. she said she saw blood everywhere. >> i entered the parking garage. we had just parked and gotten out of the car and heard three shots fired. and i thought actually it was a car accident, someone had been rear ended. then i saw people running and my colleague who worked elsewhere i recognized the sound of gunshots and she yelled at me, and we and other people in the parking garage began crawling underneath cars and behind cars and we heard more shots. so we began running. the driver who was kenyan advised us also to run. so we followed several other people into a stairwell. i thought we had gone into the parking garage. i thought when i entered the stairwell, i would go up one level and be able to exit, and that was not the case. i got in the stairwell and i was there the next hour and a half or so. there were two people in

forensic investigators at westgate mall continue their work. we don't know whether the bodies of dozens of people who are unaccounted for are inside and whether the attackers may have escaped or be found buried in the rubble. >> >> we'll stay in africa. gunmen attacked a college in north-east nigeria. the gunmen entered and fired on students as they slept. >> ahmed idris has more. >> the situation is calm. security forces deployed in large numbers trying to reassure locals that everything is under control. soldiers and police men have combed the town. >> saturday night's attack happened two weeks after public schools reopened to a new academic calendar. three months ago all schools were shut down because of an attack that killed 22 students. the situation in the north-east is more precarious. more than 200 people have been killed in attacks blamed on boko haram insurgents. following a state of emergency, situations in other states where the state of emergency was declared has impressed and normalcy returning to the states. in the last five or f

>> i am standing not far from the westgate shopping mall.the press has been here at the last several nights and there have been so many questions with no answers. the purpose of the press conference today was to say that the investigation has moved into a forensic audit days -- phase. but he could not confirm the reports of whether foreign nationals were in the attackers. we have many questions. >> did the president stand by that number? >> even those figures are changing. the resident said 67 were killed in the attack. three floors of the shopping mall have collapsed and there is believed to be several bodies in the rubble. we don't know if it is the attackers were civilians. the minister said that the number of civilians in the rubble is very insignificant. no official confirmation that the death toll has mounted. the president said five attackers were killed. hearing reports of one dozen attackers. this investigation has to cover a lot now. >> the siege lasted 80 hours. what is your gut feeling? how many people do you need to hold a place

day 4 of the militant attack on the westgate mall in nairobi.ty forces sent out tweets saying they are now in control of the mall. sue kwon joins us with the latest. >> this is definitely playing out on twitter gunmen as you mentioned most recently tweeting that security forces do not have control. and they claim they still have hostages. this morning, the u.s. state department is looking into reports that at least two of the gunmen are americans possibly 18 or 19 years old and from minneapolis. al-shabab is a militant group linked to al qaeda. the group has recruited americans before. a journalist inside the mall tweeted a series of posts describing how many of the people were children. at least five americans in the mall were injured. and there is still no count of how many hostages are still alive inside the mall. while gunmen entered there was a children's cooking competition going on inside. >> running around in little aprons. we heard a series of gunshots. we called everyone to the corner all the kids and moms and parents and everyone and

live pictures now outside the westgate mall in nairobi, kenya. al qaeda-linked militants have killed at least 62 people but as many as 10 hostages may still be alive inside the mall. this morning, u.s. officials are investigating whether americans might be among those attackers. sue kwon has been monitoring the news coming in from kenya this morning and joins us with more. >> reporter: this morning a large explosion was heard from the complex and the drama is playing out on twitter. there are reports that two or three americans as well as a british woman could be among the attackers. >>> reporter: more gunfire rang out from inside the westgate mall in nairobi. the kenyan military is trying to end a four-day standoff with terrorists who stormed the mall over the weekend. more than 60 people were killed in the attack. some hostages are still believed to be inside the building. the somalia-based terrorist group al-shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. the kenyan government says several americans are among the killers. >> from the informa

plumes of smoke fill the gate over the westgate shopping center as kenyan troops move to take back control. >> wour resolve to defend our countcountry has never been hig. >> stripped of think assets as egypt cracks down on muslim brotherhood. >>> thousands of garment workers take to the streets of bangladesh. and angela merkel gets down to business after winning a third term as chancellor. >> the kenyan government say they are now in control of the shopping center. [ gunfire ] >> gunfire and multiple explosions have been heard at the westgate parole. the submi military has surrounde al-shabab fighters. no one knows how many rebels are still in hiding. al-shabab has threatened t to kill those still inside if military use force. he'they have vowed to bring justice. >> our resolve to defend our country has never been higher. and we will take the war to the criminal's war steps. this is our country. we are in control of the security situation, and kenyons should be--should take comfort that the country is in our hands. >> well, we're live in nairobi, katherine, there was a huge flurry of activ

three terrorists killed in the westgate mall terrorist siege announced on twitter.r has been a source for a lot of information that's been revealed by kenyan authorities. here's another quote from the kenya defense force saying that a few others have suffered injuries. and more than 200 now in various hospitals. that's coming to us from nairobi, kenya, and zain verjee has been standing by live. it seems to directly refute other statements but from the scene, what are you hearing? >> reporter: i'm hearing that there's no 100% visibility in the situation on the ground in westgate mall, that it's really difficult to be entirely certain that all of the pockets of the militants have been totally removed and that's kind of what the gunfire is all about and trying to clear it out, basically. it's unclear what the situation is, too, with the hostages. when i went to sleep last night the government said there are about ten. but all day long i've been trying to find out about 20 hostages and i'm not getting any answers. so it's unclear to me whether they are being treated up

intelligence report from kenya says the government may have ignored warnings about an attack on the westgate mall in nairobi. >> a closer look at payroll cards. employers say yes, they are convenient, but some workers are not happy about the fees being charged. >> there is now every indication the u.s. government is headed to its first shutdown since bill clinton was president and number of -- newt gingrich was spark of the house. there is a bill, but it has a delay to the obamacare. republicans believe that democrats who control the senate might blink even though the democrats led by harry reid said repeatedly that any budget bill with changes to obamacare is dead on arrival. as john -- john boehner walks in the public, they may not vote for the bill: the crucial battle over who is at fault has begun in the event of a government shutdown. >> when it comes to the possibility of government shutdown, republicans and democrats are playing the blame game. >> this is a terrible destructive strategy, unnecessary. >> the president is saying he l he'll shut the government if you don't give me what i

and the experience of the westgate attack still came as a shock. >> translator: i feel really bad form. we expected here because we don't have a good government that can protect us but there they do have a proper government, i never thought it would happen to them. >> reporter: and so the city of more than a thousand kilometers from westgate feels the pain and also learned difficult lessons that they believes that kenya would do well with. peter, what happens next in somalia and i wonder whether there are any signs that the kenyas will retaliate to westgate mall with military action in the country? >> indeed, we are getting reports from intelligence sources and sources in western kenya who told us there is evidence that the kenyans are building up military capacity with armored vehicles and the main staging post for military operations inside somalia itself and there is a problem here and that is kenya is a part of the african union mission inside somalia and control the southern sector. the rest is controlled also but the northern and central sector where we are now is by uganda and

stormed the high end westgate mall in kenya. consider this - how do american citizens get involved with a group that commits terrorist attacks, and targeted christians and non-muslims. as part of al jazeera's looks at the cost of health care, we'll look at the key to obamacare - young adults. why would healthy young invincibles want to pay for insurance, when they can just pay a small fine. alien life may or may not have been disorder in the stratosphere. voyager 1 may or may not have left the solar system. you may or may not be able to travel to space. i'm antonio mora, welcome to consider this. officials at kenya's interior ministry tweeted that they believe all hostages had been released. two or three americans were part of the al-shabab team that started the assault on the westgate mall on saturday afternoon. according to the red cross 62 were killed and 175 injured. kenyan police say three al-shabab fighters were killed. as al jazeera's reporter reports, the attack came at a time when al-shabab seemed to be on the decline.

also ahead investigation in kenya, an international team is at the westgate shopping mall to find out how terrorists were able to attack it. >> and the crackdown on muslim brotherhood protests. >> rescuers have not been able to reach many of the scattered communities hit by an earthquake in southwest pakistan. 348 people have been killed, but that figure is expected to rise. the remote region is one of pakistan's poorest province where is hospitals and medical supplies are squares. al jazeera is the only international news team in the worst effected area, and our correspondent kamal is there. >> reporter: the situation is quite desperate. the numbers that you're getting from official sources are in areas where no one has yet to come see and assess the damage. as you can see behind me these villagers are trying to do everything on their own. they're trying to dig through the rubble in the hope that they'll find someone there, someone who is missing. it's quite significant, and now the most important these people don't have any shade, no water, food, all their belongings are gone. the v

after the siege al jazeera goes inside kenya's westgate shopping center. >>> counting down to a u.s. government shutdown. we're in washington where lawmakers have just hours to agree to a new budget. >>> i'm in london with all the very latest news from europe including cracks appear in silvio berlusconi's power base if it finds threats italy has to go to the polls again over his role in government. >>> golden dawn or golden dusk? in greece activists face new threats to their political future. >>> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has urged president obama not to let up on sanctions against iran. netanyahu is visiting the white house just three days after obama and new iranian president hassan rouhani spoke on the phone. that's the highest level of contact in decades. he assured netanyahu he will be level-headed during talks with iran. the head of iran's elite revolutionary guard questions the time between the phone call. he told the state news agency that rouhani should have waited until washington demonstrated genuine intentions towards iran. he says given the fact that the

. >> saturday afternoon, shots and explosions are heard inside the busy upscale westgate shopping mall in nairobi, kenya. >> the shoppers are held but gunmen, and unconfirmed reports indicate that several people have been shot. >> eyewitnesss say an unknown number of gunmen burst through the mall from unknown entrances, firing shots at the shoppers. at first, they thought it was a grenade, according to some reports asking people the name of the prophet mohammed's mother, to prove their faith before they exit. >> 18 gunmen believed to be within the westgate, having taken control of the mall right now -- police, as we understand, have been able to gain access of the we do understand the death toll now stands at at least four people. >> reporter: the gunmen moved from store to store, shooting people randomly. hundreds of terrified shoppers try to flee or attempt to hide inside the stores and stair well. many escape however they can. kenyan authorities stormed the mall and pursued the gunmen, who sequestered themselves inside a huge complex with an unknown number of hostages. the standoff

. >> security forces opened fire outside the westgate mall in nairobi trying to regain control from armed men. a blanket cover thought to be one of the casualties. the shopping complex was packed about midday local time when people heard a large explosion. then they saw men with ak 47 machine guns opened fire. some of the shoppers were able to escape and about 20 people were rescued by the police but dozens of people are still thought to be trapped inside. the police were able to enter the building about an hour after the attack started. >> the hold up on the second floor. at the cinema. they have been isolated by the police and the police actually combing room by room, floor by floor. but as the issue -- the saga develops. >> there is a security process to guess into the shopping mall but as seen here there's a restaurant on the ground floor protected from the road only by a balcony, spread gun -- sporadic gun fire can be heard. carolyn are al jazeera news. >>> tell us about what you're seeing. >> yeah, i got here about 15, 20 minutes after the explosion stopped and it had died down for

there has been heavy gunfire at the westgate mall in nairobi. reuters newsagency reports that somali rebel group al-shabab is threatening to kill all remaining hostages if force is used. so far 68 are known to have died in the siege. >> the german chancellor is celebrating after leading her party to victory in the general election. angela merkel returns to office for a record third term. >> at least 20 people have been killed and southern china after typhoon usagi made landfall. that makes it the deadliest storm there so far this year. >> syrian president bashar al-assad says he has given new evidence to russia on the use of chemical weapons by rebel fighters. in an interview with china's state-owned cctv channel bashar al-assad added that the rebels are working under foreign direct tifs and warned what he called terrorists could try to prevent inspectors reaching chemical weapons sites. >> translation: the only thing is that the security situation in some areas could put obstacles in the part of some inspectors. i mean areas where those want to

overnight, gunfire and explosions once again erupting from the westgate mall.arch for terrorists or hostages that may have still been inside. this, as the first images emerge of what may be the terrorists inside the mall. kenyan officials have not commented on the photo. but they are confirming that the mall was booby-trapped. we are doing cleanup of explosives that had been set up by the terrorists. they sweep, they say, is the final phase of a bloody and intense standoff that came to a head on monday. this video, obtained exclusively by abc news, shows kenyan soldiers fighting to take the mall from its roof and free the remaining hostages, all under a cloud of black smoke and persistent gunfire. this morning, as the signatures at westgate continues to unfold, we're hearing harrowing stories from survivors. >> i we went in the corner. i was telling everybody, bend down. >> reporter: radio host kamal koor said she was hosting a roofing competition at the mall when the terrorists launched their attack saturday afternoon. >> they were climbing on top of the kids

their daughter who escaped the siege at the westgate mall returned home to dulles international airport. erika gonzalez has more on what's next for them. >> a young woman is reunited at home with her father and mother after she says what sounded like explosions going off around her. tonight, they are asking for privacy as they try to regroup. she lights up at the sight of her father. this is the moment they have anxiously awaited over the course of four days. how does it feel to be home? >> i'm so glad to be here with my parents. really glad. >> reporter: reunited after a

about intelligence in public, but what it shows is that they may have been warned about a pos ible westgate style attack at some point and did very little about it at the same time. if you speak to intelligence experts, they will say that what can you do if a group of people are intent on committing attacks of this kind? there is very little you can do to stop it. >> what is the latest on the forensic investigation you can tell us >> well, i can tell you a little more about the actual investigation into the siege. the interior ministry has con if he remembered they have arrested an additional suspect just in the last hour. in terms of the forensic investigation, that continues, we are still waiting to hear back from the investigators including members of the american fbi who are taking part. but we have seen a lot of shop owners who are trying to get back into the mall, and some of them who have gone in have told us that they have been looted. more questions for the security forces here. >> thank you very much. still ahead, what happens when the huge investment in a new sports stadium does

the violent hostage crisis at the upscale westgate mall in nairobi is in its the day a security source claims police may have cleared the shopping center of militants however there is still a heavy police presence of the scene a series of explosions and sustained gunfire have been heard in the area with heavy plumes of smoke rising from the shopping center at least two terrorists are confirmed dead and others are said to be injured there sold was launched at midday on saturday by a group of somali al shabaab militants with strong al qaeda connections however multiple media reports that british dutch and american citizens may be among the fighters and investigations been launched into allegations the country's interior minister says the brutal tock has claimed lives of sixty two people many of them foreigners and left at least one hundred seventy injured. and of course we'll bring you more news in just over a minute from now to state. i . write the same. search string. and i think you're. on a record with. a live. mission. critical three. three. three. three. three. golds three ball vid

the new pictures -- in kenya, the new pictures show the westgate mall in ruins. it will take a week to go through it. >> kenya faces questions over whether they ignored warnings. they heard a year ago that al-shabab was planning suicide attacks on that mall. nazanine moshiri has more from nairobi. >> this footage shot by the kenyan red cross shows scenes of confusion during the westgate mall siege. a number of victims are treated. some of the dead had to be left behind. >> more than a week later kenyans learnt the government may have known about a potential attack here. the document given to al jazeera, and originally leeked to kenyan media contains situation reports dating back to september last year when officers warned the somali armed group al-shabab was planning an attack on the westgate mall and a nairobi church on an undisclosed date. a warning in february suggested a mum buy-style attack where operatives would storm in and probably hold hostages. a number of al-shabab fighters were apparently given refugee cards to enter kenya. then this intelligence from

she's outside the westgate mall in nairobi.check back as soon as we get that technical issue solved. >> meanwhile, the upscale mall is popular with westerners who live in nairobi. for that reason officials warned that west gate would be an easy target for terrorists. >> there hasn't been a recent indication. about two years ago there was a security alert issued to the international community of people who were walking in embassies or walking in u.n. agencies. there are various places where they were told to avoid. it's areas frequented by the international community, and this mall is one of them that had a red flag. >> we twoont point out that the group behind this attack is el shabaab, affiliated with al qaeda and have a wide presence in united states which is part of the fear for the u.s. >> these are tweeting terrorists, sophisticate d, tweeting through attack yesterday. >> reporter: they're among the world's most dangerous terrorists. some of them have american passports and there are concerns they may attack the united sta

still ahead, forensic experts called into kenya's westgate mall. how they will help with the investigation into the hostage standoff, and exclusive footage. >> mark my words -- >> why texas senator ted cruz has spent so much time talking on the senate floor, and why the speech might not produce juste talk on literally came to an end on the floor of the u.s. senate. senator ted cruz just wrapped up his remarks. he has been talking since tuesday afternoon. it is a filibuster to delay action on a bill that would dismantle barack obama affordable health care act. the speech is not likely to make any real difference. >> senator ted cruz standing for more than 20 hours on the senate floor. >> washington says we have to accept this train wreck, nightmare, there is nothing we can do. >> the president's signature health-care law under attack. since 2:00 p.m. tuesday ted cruz has commanded the floor, voicing his opposition, trying to delay a spending bill. sure to bill virtually lose, his colleagues are helping him out here and there. >> what kind of america

on the developing story now the violent hostage crisis at the upscale westgate mall in nairobi has and today it said day ten people that still believed to be held by the militants authorities claim police are gaining an advantage over that time and have promised the operation will be over soon saying live pictures from outside the westgate mall in nairobi a series of explosions and sustained gunfire have been heard in the area with heavy plumes of smoke rising from the shopping center and i can phone number of the gunman thought to still be inside with two terrorists confirmed dead and others are said to be injured there so it was launched at midday on saturday by a group of somali al shabaab militants with strong connections the country's interior minister says they were to and has claimed lives of sixty two people many of them foreigners and at least one hundred seventy five people injured. and up next time she travels to an island this is a football field which has become a place of pilgrimage for many russians. the mcmillan family in canada has decided to defy time itself and keep

. >>> tonight, kenya's army says it's rescued most of the hostages at the westgate shopping mall in nairobi. a two day standoff that killed more than 68 and wounded more than 150. the initial attack happened saturday. the somali militant group al shabaab has claimed responsibility. >> i have to be honest with you, we haven't seen a great deal of movement within the building or on the side streets. personnel carriers moving in and out and it has been very, very quiet from the building itself. it's very difficult to get any kind of confirmed information about what's taking place inside. but clearly the headline is the kenyan military believes that they have secured most of the building and released most of the hostages although again i really want to stress that this is not yet over. there are still clearly hostages in there, and there are still clearly some of the governments, some of the attackers. it is surprising i think that we don't know precise number of the government. -- gunmen. and one of the things the kenyan security services have been criticized for, is not debriefing the victims

this is the aim of the attacks on westgate shopping center in nairobi. al qaeda is clever in manipulating the media. they did so successfully. there's a surge of al qaeda activities in africa, syria, iraq. i'm not surprised the theories, which was adopted by the american administration that al qaeda is weakened and eroding. it's wrong now. al qaeda proved to them that it is active. there's islamic state in iraq. there's boko haram, there's al-qaeda in north africa, al qaeda in that part of the world. it seems now that there was strategy of saying al qaeda was wrong. i believe now they will revise the strategy and think about the situation, and this is what happened, and nairobi is a warning shot to the americans and other services that al qaeda is back strongly, so i believe the coming months or years will witness more activities of al qaeda and africa. >> thank you abdel for your thoughts. >> the egypt interim government introduced a $2.4 billion plan to fight poverty, reducing public transport costs, reopening some factories, capping the price of fruit

plumes of black smoke and gunfire and explosions from the westgate mall complex. >>> u.s. navy helicopter crashed into red sea, two people onboard are missing right now. the navy officials are saying three people were found in stable condition. and vessels and helicopters are searching for the remaining crew members. the red sea between africa and the arabian peninsula. it was not the result of hostile activity, but it is under investigation. >>> the maryland attorney general is ready to run for governor. his campaign announced he will start his statewide tour norm -- tomorrow and then he will make stops in maryland. brown and heather will be in the race to become maryland's next governor. >>> and speaking of the governor's race. brown picked up another endorsement. the announcement was made yesterday. brown, a democratic has picked howard county executive, as hin running mate. >>> baltimore will travel to pg county on thursday to talk about healthcare. this after the exchange recrated under obama care is open for business. the governor has been among the most aggressive i

. >> the hostage crisis in the upscale westgate mall is ongoing at this hour. and here are the latest numbers. according to the kenyan government, there are almost 60 dead and more than 175 injured, including four americans. as of right now, there are still 10 to 15 attackers inside that mall, the chaotic scene now a tense standoff. abc's kirit radia is on the ground in nairobi this morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is about as close to westgate we can get. you can see it right behind me here. security folks have pushed us back. we have helicopters overhead. this was clearly a complex and coordinated attack. aimed at killing as many men, women and children as possible. their survival stories are chilling. this morning, the upscale nairobi mall is under siege. gunmen olding holding at least 30 hostages inside. authorities believe that 10 to 15 attackers are still inside. >> they remain inside. the situation is very delicate. >> reporter: it started in broad daylight saturday afternoon. right as the mall was packed with weekend shoppers, witnesses say the

sources here have been saying for a while now that they are in full control of westgate mall. said, well, we've got to do some sweeps still. we've got to clear it. what we saw today, they said they were defusing explosives. the bomb squad went in. we're still hearing on and off gunfire. one of the indications that's giving us a sense that this may actually really be over is the fact that the president of kenya is expected to make a statement. now the thing is, he was expected to make it once and then twice. it got delayed and delayed again. we're standing by to see what he says. because, guys, there's a lot of unanswered questions here. there's no real clarity on what's happened to the hostages. are they dead? are they alive? were the hostages actually released, like the government says? did they fight the militants to get the hostages out or did they find people hiding out and just rescue them and they're saying those are the hostages? it's really not clear. 65 people are missing. a lot of families here in nairobi are scared and anxiously waiting for the president's speech. >

>> i am as close as we can get from the westgate shopping mall. you can see the end of the building behind me. cordoned because of the security risks around the building. at this point, it is one third of the building that actually collapsed in the battle between the military and the security forces. the militants and the security forces. also, throughout each day, we have people coming along to witness what has happened. in many cases, they have a personal connection. , who was pastlas chair of the olympics in this country. you lost your site and 1998 bombing of the united states than 200here more people lost their lives. bombing injured in that as you were driving your car past the infancy -- embassy. >>) i lost my side in the 1998 embassy -- site in -- sight in the 1998 embassy bombing. o.came here to >> what did you feel when you this attack and the subsequent siege was taking place? september, i was doing a cycling event. i had just finished the race after being given my trophy. awas told there had been terrorist attack at the westgate mall.

investigators are still combing through the rubble and destruction to see what's left at the westgate shopping mall. >> reporter: new images of the aftermath of the kenyan mall attack. the parking lot of the westgate shopping mall collapsed after soldiers fired grenades inside, creating a diversion so hostages could escape. among the survivors, this man said he stood frozen as the attackers walked in and is the a security guard in the head. >> i saw the second gunman pointing his rifle at me. i asked why with you want to do this to me. >> reporter: the al qaeda affiliated group al shabaab takes responsibility for the attack. the leader calling it a historic operation and a warning to westerners. the group carefully plotted the attack for months, renting a store on the second floor of the plawl likely to store homemade bombs and automatic weapons. now this supermarket and the rest of the mall are crime scenes, carefully being investigated by forensic experts from around the world and the u.s. 10 suspects are in custody. investigators are not saying who the attackers are or if americans

attackers and civilians are buried under the rubble caused by explosion. >> three floors of the westgates. >> reporter: while the terrorists were ultimately defeated, the protracted worldwide attention on the attack may have been all they were after in the first place. >> this is a major success for them. this was a mission to kill and maim at a very high level. and to receive the kind of attention that it has done. >> reporter: the group claiming responsibility came across the border into kenya from neighboring somalia. it is called al-shabaab, arabic for "the youth or the boys." started as a nationalistic guerrilla group, al-shabaab pledged allegiance to al qaeda and one of its most potent affiliates in the world. >> the fact they separated muslim and non-muslim, it is not madness, ideological terrorism. >> reporter: terrorism carried out with 21st century tools of social media. throughout the siege, they sent audio and written messages to reporters via twitter. a warning in arabic to day that kenya should pull its troops out of somalia or else. you have seen what you will reap. which

. >> reporter: this is the aftermath of the final assault by the attackers on westgate mall. the rear of the building has collapsed. three floors debeneath it caved in, crushing everyone below. the attack came on monday when military helicopters flew close by the building, explosions and gunfire followed. this former army officer now a defense analyst believes the special forces came under such fierce resistence that they resorted to heavier weapon. >> there may have been more firepower used to subdue the terrorists that might have led to the collapse of the building. >> reporter: whatever happens an unknown number of bodies lie buried in the rubble. and the government believes the remaining hostage takers are dead. the inquiry involving foreign agents including the u.s. britain, canada, there is inquiry of why the building collapsed. >> we have also been asked why the building cased in. again, that is a matter to be determined by civil engineers who have since moved to the site. we want to request that once we get information on whether it is the action of the excessive fire

and he happened to be near nairobi's westgate mall when the gunmen opened fire. i just want to share with you some of these amazing photos that hicks took, and hear what he told cnn about what it was he saw. >> reporter: i happened to be close by to westgate mall when the violence broke out. and as i approached the mall, i could see lots of people running away. and as i got closer, it was clear that there were people who had been shot. i saw people who had been shot in the stomach and in the leg. dozens of injuries streaming out among just terrified civilians. i continued to move along carefully along the front of the mall, where i saw three men who had been killed just at the front entrance of the mall. one of them still inside the car that he had been driving. and continued to proceed up into an upper parking garage where i, again, saw more people streaming out. the police and the army who were working there were desperately trying to get people evacuated out of the building. i saw this as an opportunity to get inside. to go against the flow of the people and e

as more images of the destruction at nairobi's westgate shopping mall are released... the leader of terror group al-shabab is taking responsibility for the deadly siege there last weekend. saying the attack is payback for the presence of kenyan troops in somalia. godane says: "this operation shocked the kenyan authorities who sent their forces into our homeland and it was a lesson to those western groups who support kenyan intervention in our country, which loots our natural resources, like oil." (audio only/voice of translator) the group ... threatening more violence if kenya keeps a military presence in their nation. godane says: "you will not be able to withstand a long- lasting war in somalia and the calculated attack inside kenya. today take the decision to withdraw your troops out of somalia or prepare for a long-lasting war, blood, destruction and evacuation." (audio only/voice of translator) that warning comes as an international team of investigators - including representatives from the u-s and britain - are helping carry out forensic work to determine exactly

saturday afternoon, shots and explosions are heard in the busy upscale wastegate -- westgate shopping mall in nairobi, kenya. >> they are held by gunmen and reports indicate that several people have been shot. >> witnesses say an unknown number of gunmen burst into the mall. firing shots at the ceiling and tossing grenades. panicked shoppers assume it's a robbery, but eyewitnesss say the gunmen tell all muslims to leave. according to some reports, asking the name of the prophet mohamed's mother to prove their faith before they exit. that would leave the non-muslims as hostages and targets. >> 18 gunmen to be within the westgate having taken control of the mall. right now, police, as we understand, have been able to gain access. we do understand the death toll now stands at least four people. >> reporter: the gunman moved from store to store. hundreds of terrified shoppers tried to flee or attempt to hide in stores and stair wells. many escape however they can. kenyan authorities storm the mall in pursuit of the gunmen. with an unknown number of hostages. one from north carolina tried

. >> reporter: well, westgate mall is a short distance behind me. the media has been moved back because they are concerned about security reasons or if they went live the hostage takers could see what was happening on tv and figure things out. this huge yellow crane just drove by and it's going up to the mall, so we are not sure if that's is going to be used in any kind of operation, and right now, 59 people dead, and from sources adding to that, there could be as many as 30 hostages. we don't know their condition. when you talk to people here and read the newspapers, and you just hear stories of horror, of escape, how people were hiding, and one person hiding in the vault of a bank and running to find any cover we could. we couldn't believe it, but my aunt was one of them. listen to what she said. >> all of a sudden we heard some shots and people rushing and we realized we were under attack or somebody was at the supermarket, something similar, and we rushed to the back trying to hide, and we heard random shots from everywhere, upstairs and downsta

westgate mall is behind me around the corner. while the kenyan government is saying they do have the situation under control, that is all pretty relative. we heard frn explosion earlier and sporadic bursts of gunfire and seems they are going through to carry out the final sweep. an unknown number of gunmen inside there and various reports that parts of the building might be boobytrapped and snipers inside as well. the red cross is saying 65 people at this stage are either missing or unaccounted for. various volunteers that we have been talking to have been trying to also gain access into the buildings to try to clear out some of those bodies that may still be inside. we have also met a number of individuals, including one woman who was still searching for any information about her husband. a lot of the people we are talking to really just want to see the situation resolved as quickly as possible at this stage. >> more than 60 people still missing you're saying. is it still possible at this point there are hostages alive inside th

a lot of those answers do remain buried under the rubble at the westgate mall. what may also be providing more information has been the arrest of at least 11 individuals who were mostly detained at the airport. they are being questioned at this point. forensic teams are also currently combing through the rubble at the westgate mall. chris, kate? >> thank you so much, arwa, for that update. amazing that it's now collapsed. >>> there's a lot of news developing at this very hour. let's get straight to michaela for the headlines. >>> we begin in ohio, overnight, the columbus police department headquarters re-opened following an explosion, caused quite a fright there. a loud noise was heard inside the building tuesday eenvening,n fact. during a search early this morning they found the source. a panel on a battery popped off on a construction project. thankfully no reports of injuries. >>> the death foal from the powerful earthquake in southwest pakistan climbing to 208. about 350 others were injured. those numbers could still rise. a provincial official says people a

moments ago a huge loud explosion rocked the westgate fourth day in that hostage situation. officials say they're looking into a claim by kenya's foreign minister that, quote, two or thrown americans are among the attackers, but they say they have no definitive evidence. kenya forces battled al shabaab overnight. the siege has left 60 dead and 200 injured, including americans. the kenyan government says on twitter it's now in charge of the mall, but a.p. is reporting that al shabaab is tweeting that its militants are, quote, still holding their ground. so it's not clear how many hostages, if any, were treed. smoke rose from the complex well into the night. the kenyan government says more than ten suspects are arrested for questioning, and kenya's president is expected to address the nation today. >>> back here at home, will they or won't they? it's a day of high stakes the the united nations. all eyes are on whether president obama will meet face-to-face with iran's new leader. tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, good morning. this meeting would be the first of its k

our starting point is the westgate mall in kenya. >> the westgate mall is unt -- is under attack. >> they are treating this as a terror attackism. >> anything to do with terrorism is done for the purpose of propaganda, an attempt to play people's emotion, influence thinking and perceptions. the terrorists understand news values. >> for the correspondent on the ground covering the siege, the editor trying to make sense of it from london, the academic researching the impact of new media on journalist and the specialist in radical movements around the world, the first thing about the coverage of the nairobi story was the location. the kenyan capital is the de facto media capital of east africa. journalists were already there in big numbers. al-shabab drought the story right to their doorstep. that was day one of the organization's media strategy. >> in some countries in africa journalists have to be deployed from mexico or a country five, six countries ago or from headquarters in another continent. this was different in nairobi, which is why it attracted so much international attention.