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Westgate shopping mall attack

SOLVED2013Westgate Shopping Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 21 September 2013, at about 12:25 p.m., four masked gunmen emerged from a Mitsubishi Lancer near the entrance of the Westgate shopping mall in the Westlands district of Nairobi, Kenya. The attackers threw grenades toward a coffee shop and a security booth before splitting into pairs, with two heading toward the pedestrian entrance and two toward the vehicle entrance and upstairs parking lot, where a children's cooking competition was underway. Gunmen opened fire indiscriminately on shoppers, including at the Urban Burgers restaurant, and separated people according to religion, asking some to recite the shahadah or name the mother of the Prophet Muhammad; at least two people were killed for incorrectly stating the shahada. The militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, describing the attack as retribution for Kenya's military deployment in Somalia under Operation Linda Nchi.

The siege lasted several hours, with most victims killed in the first hour, though the mall was not declared secured until 24 September. Kenyan security forces began their operation around 4:00 p.m., roughly four hours after the attack began. A friendly-fire incident occurred between the Recce Company of the General Service Unit and Kenya Defence Force soldiers, who mistakenly engaged each other on the first floor; Recce commander Martin Munene was killed and two officers injured. Part of the mall later collapsed due to a fire that started during the siege, complicating the death toll count. In total, 71 people died, including 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers, and all four gunmen; approximately 200 people were wounded. Notable victims included journalist Ruhila Adatia-Sood, President Uhuru Kenyatta's nephew Mbugua Mwangi and his fiancée Rosemary Wahito, Ghanaian poet and diplomat Kofi Awoonor, and Canadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges. Civilian and off-duty security personnel, including Abdul Yusuf Haji, Taff Groves, Lorcan Byrne, Peter Bach, and Dominic Troulan, took part in rescue efforts under fire; Troulan was later awarded the George Cross. Soldiers were subsequently seen on camera looting stores in the mall, and two were arrested and jailed for looting.

The four gunmen were identified via investigation as Hassan Abdi Mohamed (Abu Baara al-Sudani), Ahmed Hassan Abukar (Khattab al-Kene), Mohammed Abdinur Said (Umayr al-Mogadish), and Yahye Osman Ahmed (Omar Nabhan); all reportedly died of smoke inhalation according to autopsy results, though a separate NYPD-led review suggested they may have escaped alive, a conclusion disputed by Kenyan and US State Department findings. On 4 November 2013, a Kenyan court charged four Somali nationals — Mohammed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullah, Adnan Ibrahim, and Hussein Hassan — with harbouring the gunmen and related offences; all pleaded not guilty. On 7 October 2020, following a trial with more than 140 witnesses, a Nairobi court convicted Hussein Hassan Mustafa and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, while a third defendant was acquitted for insufficient evidence; a further defendant had been acquitted in January 2019. Human Rights Watch noted that neither the attackers nor the attack's masterminds were brought to justice, with the convicted described as bystanders in the plot.

Key facts

Victims
Rosemary Wahito, Kofi Awoonor, Mbugua Mwangi, Ruhila Adatia-Sood, Annemarie Desloges, Martin Munene
Date
2013
Location
Westgate Shopping Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2011

    Al-Shabaab issues threats of attacks in Kenya following Operation Linda Nchi, a joint Somali-Kenyan military operation against the group.

  2. 2013-06-17

    Attacker Mohamed Abdinur Said flies from Mogadishu to Nairobi via Wajir and Entebbe using a false student cover.

  3. 2013-07-26

    Mohamed Abdinur boards a bus from Kampala to Nairobi, joining fellow attacker Ahmed Abukar already in Kenya.

  4. 2013-09-21

    Four gunmen attack Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi with grenades and gunfire; siege begins around 12:25 p.m.

  5. 2013-09-21

    Kenyan security forces (Recce Company and Kenya Defence Force) begin operations around 4:00 p.m.; friendly-fire incident kills Recce commander Martin Munene.

  6. 2013-09-24

    Mall officially declared secured; Kenyan Red Cross reports 63 people still missing.

  7. 2013-10-04

    Ten arrests reported in connection with the aftermath of the attack.

  8. 2013-11-04

    Kenyan court charges four Somali nationals with harbouring the gunmen; all plead not guilty.

  9. 2013-12

    NYPD releases findings suggesting the attack was carried out by four Al-Shabaab terrorists who most likely escaped the mall alive.

  10. 2015-03-12

    Adan Garaar, who led reconnaissance for the attack, is killed in a drone strike near Dinsoor, southern Somalia.

  11. 2015-10-05

    Kenyan government releases the nom de guerres of the four attackers.

  12. 2019-01

    An accused co-conspirator is acquitted in the case for lack of evidence.

  13. 2020-10-07

    Nairobi court convicts Hussein Hassan Mustafa and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act; a third defendant is acquitted.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Hussein Hassan Mustafa

    CONVICTED

    Convicted on 7 October 2020 of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act in connection with the attack

  • Mohammed Ahmed Abdi

    CONVICTED

    Convicted on 7 October 2020 of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act in connection with the attack

  • Hussein Hassan

    CHARGED

    Charged on 4 November 2013 with harbouring the gunmen and related offences; pleaded not guilty

  • Rosemary Wahito

    VICTIM

    Fiancée of Mbugua Mwangi, killed in the attack

  • Yahye Osman Ahmed

    CHARGED

    Identified by Kenyan authorities as attacker known as Omar Nabhan (alias Yahya Golis, Arab); died during the siege, per Kenyan investigation

  • Kofi Awoonor

    VICTIM

    Ghanaian poet and diplomat killed in the attack

  • Mohammed Abdinur Said

    CHARGED

    Identified as attack commander, nom de guerre Umayr al-Mogadish; died during the siege, per Kenyan investigation

  • Mbugua Mwangi

    VICTIM

    Nephew of President Uhuru Kenyatta, killed in the attack

  • Ruhila Adatia-Sood

    VICTIM

    Kenyan journalist killed in the attack

  • Hassan Abdi Mohamed

    CHARGED

    Identified by Kenyan authorities as attacker known as Abu Baara al-Sudani (also referenced as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow); died during the siege, per Kenyan investigation

  • Annemarie Desloges

    VICTIM

    Canadian diplomat killed in the attack

  • Martin Munene

    VICTIM

    Commander of Kenya's Recce Company, killed in a friendly-fire incident during the siege

  • Ahmed Hassan Abukar

    CHARGED

    Identified by Kenyan authorities as attacker known as Khattab al-Kene; died during the siege, per Kenyan investigation

  • Liban Abdullah

    CHARGED

    Charged on 4 November 2013 with harbouring the gunmen and related offences; pleaded not guilty

  • Martin Munene

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Commander of Kenya's Recce Company killed in friendly-fire incident during the operation

  • Adnan Ibrahim

    CHARGED

    Charged on 4 November 2013 with harbouring the gunmen and related offences; pleaded not guilty

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Westgate Shopping Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya

-1.2568, 36.8033

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 21 September 2013, four al-Shabaab gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, killing 71 people including 62 civilians, five soldiers, and all four attackers, in a siege lasting several days.
Where did the crime happen?
Westgate Shopping Mall, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya.
Who was convicted?
Hussein Hassan Mustafa (Convicted on 7 October 2020 of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act in connection with the attack) and Mohammed Ahmed Abdi (Convicted on 7 October 2020 of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act in connection with the attack).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Kenya

Sources

  1. Westgate shopping mall attackwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Guardiannews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07