Deadly Attack In Kenyan Shopping Mall(68 Confirmed Dead)

[FlyJ]

 

(CNN) -- The death toll grew to 30 people in Saturday attack by gunmen on an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, leading to a fierce gunbattle with police and a hostage standoff, authorities said.

One suspect was killed, said Kenyan official who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information. There were also 100 people injured, the official said.

Americans were also injured in the attack, but the majority of casualties are Kenyan, authorities said.

Another suspected gunman is in the hospital and is being detained by authorities, said national police on its Twitter account.

Authorities say as many as 36 hostages are still being held by the gunmen in the mall, according to journalist Martin Cuddihy of the Australian Broadcasting Corp., who was at the scene and interviewed by CNN.

The Kenyan Red Cross reported 20 dead, though a government official, Joseph Ole Lenku, only confirmed 11.

"It may go up, but for now, that's the number we have," said Lenku, the national government's cabinet secretary for interior and coordination.

"Our security forces have taken control of the situation," he added.

While one security agent said terrorists were behind the attack, Lenku said officials are expected to identify those responsible, but had not done so.

 

 

"We don't want to speculate for now who made the attack," he said.

Fifty more people were wounded in the attack at the mall in Nairobi, said Abbas Gullet, head of the Kenyan Red Cross. Lenku, however, said 40 people were wounded.

A security agent told CNN's Lillian Leposo at the scene that the violence was a terrorist attack, Leposo told CNN.

"They have strong reason that these men are terrorists," Leposo said.

 

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