Canada
Kenya Mall Shooting Continues: Two Canadians Among The 68 Dead (PHOTOS)
Two Canadians, including diplomat Annemarie Desloges, were among the 56 people killed in a shopping mall attack in Nairobi, Sept. 22, 2013.
In an update this morning, a local official says that 175 others have been injured.
There are still 10 to 15 gunmen inside the mall holding a number of people hostage as a standoff with police continues.
The attackers, Somali Islamist extremists with the group al-Shabab, stormed the building yesterday.
Among those who were killed are two Canadians, including 29-year-old diplomat Annemarie Desloges.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Sunday the masterminds behind the attack will be punished “swiftly and indeed very painfully.”
“They should not get away with their despicable and beastly acts,” Kenyatta said during a news conference.
“We are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious society and we are a society that believes that our diversity is also our strength,” Kenyatta said. “Sadly this evil and cowardly act of terrorism has claimed 59 lives and injured more than 175 people.”
What the officials are saying
“The hearts and prayers of all Canadians go out to the families and friends of all those affected by this senseless tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to those suffering the loss of Annemarie Desloges, one of our diplomats who has died in the attack.
“Acts of terror cannot be allowed to go unpunished. Canadian staff at our mission are offering Kenyan authorities every possible assistance to bring the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice.”
— Statement from the Prime Minister’s Office
“Canada condemns this senseless act of violence in the strongest of terms, and we call on Kenyan authorities to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist attack to justice.”
— Joint statement from Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.
“Obviously we are devastated by the terrorist attack in Kenya. Al Shabab has wreaked havoc on this part of the world for far too long. In addition to the dozens of people killed and injured we are very sad to report we lost a Canadian diplomat and another Canadian … That people can be gunned down in broad daylight in a shopping mall on a weekend is obviously a tremendous tragedy. Obviously when you have someone serving their country abroad it is quite devastating … and shakes us to the core.”
Annemarie Desloges, left, was killed when Somali militants attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday. Her husband Robert Munk, right, was also injured. (Facebook)
“We have lost a member of our own State Department family: the wife of a foreign service national working for the U.S. Agency for International Development. The men and women of USAID work courageously around the world to help people striving for a better life. While we mourn with her family today, we also pledge our commitment to do whatever we can to assist in bringing the perpetrators of this abhorrent violence to justice, and to continue our efforts to improve the lives of people across the globe …
“The massacre of so many innocents is a heartbreaking reminder that there exists unspeakable evil in our world which can destroy life in a senseless instant.”
— Statement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
