Monday, September 23, 2013
newssinsideCanadian authorities are investigating reports that a 24-year-old Ontario man may have been one of the gunmen who stormed a Nairobi shopping mall killing at least 68 shoppers and taking an unknown number of hostages over the weekend.
The allegation is especially troubling given that at least two of the victims were Canadian.
The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack at the Westgate Mall, saying it is retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighbouring Somalia.
On Sunday, an unverified English-language Twitter account that
purported to belong to the press office for al-Shabab posted what it
claimed was a list of names of the terrorists who had stormed the mall.
The list includes a “24 y.o. from Ontario Canada.” Also on the list
were the names of three people from the U.S., one from Finland and one
from the United Kingdom.
Twitter shut down the account after pressure from the international
security community, reports CTV's Mercedes Stephenson. She adds that her
sources in the Foreign Affairs department say they have no confirmation
that there was a Canadian involved but are investigating.
Reporters with the Associated Press and al Jazeera say their al-Shabab
sources have told them the Twitter account and names were fake. But CNN
reports that its al-Shabab source has confirmed the Twitter posts were
real.
The FBI is now actively investigating the claims.
Rick Roth, the spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, says
their office is aware of the allegation made on the Twitter account and
is cooperating with the investigation.
“We are aware of the reports but do not comment on operational matters of national security,” he said in an emailed statement.
“Our government will provide its full support to any investigation of a
terrorist act that does or may include Canadian citizens. Terrorists,
regardless of their citizenship, must be punished for their cowardice
and depravity.”
Al-Shabab, which is fighting to spread Islamist law in Somalia, has
actively tried to recruit members in the U.S. and Europe and several
Canadians are suspected of having joined the extremist group.
New York Republican Rep. Peter King, a member of the House homeland
security committee, said on Sunday the group had likely recruited as
many as 50 people from Somali communities in the U.S.
"It's an extremely deadly organization, well-trained. And it's one of
the only al Qaeda affiliates which has actively recruited here in the
United States," King told ABC's “This Week."
"There are at least 40 to 50 Somali-Americans who have gone from the
United States to Somalia to be trained. A number of them have been
killed but there’s others still alive."
He added: "We know there’s probably still 15-20 Somali Americans who
are still active over there. The concern would be if any of them have
come back to the United States and would use those abilities here in the
United States."
At least two Canadians were killed in the attack, including Naguib
Damji, 59, a businessman from Vancouver who was visiting a cousin in
Nairobi. Family members say they were initially told he had died of a
heart attack.
The Canadian government said Saturday that Annemarie Desloges, a
29-year-old Canadian diplomat working in Kenya, also died in the attack.
The 29-year-old had been stationed in Nairobi while working as a
liaison officer with the Canadian Border Services Agency.
As well, Baird says one Canadian permanent resident was also injured.