2 Canadians among dozens killed in Nairobi mall shooting

Two Canadians have are among the dozens killed in a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office has confirmed.

One of the Canadians killed has been identified as Annemarie Desloges, 29, a diplomat.

“Annemarie Desloges was a distinguished public servant of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration who served in Canada’s High Commission to Kenya, as a liaison officer with the Canada Border Services Agency. She will be remembered and honoured,” Harper said in a statement.

 

Foreign affairs minister John Baird extended his condolences to Desloges’ family.

“We send our thoughts and prayers and those of all Canadians to Ms. Desloges’ family, friends and colleagues during this most difficult time,” he said in a statement. “We have no doubt that Annemarie touched the lives of many, and it is for that, that she will always be remembered.”

There has been no word on the identity of the second Canadian victim.

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said 39 people were killed and more than 150 were wounded after gunmen opened fire at the Westgate Mall, an upscale shopping centre frequented by Westerners as well as Kenyans, Saturday afternoon.

As many as 36 people are believed to be held as hostages but Kenyan authorities insist they have the upper hand on the situation.

Two gunmen, including one who was detained after being shot, are dead.

The al-Qaida-linked Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab said that Kenya had received repeated warnings to pull its troops out of Somalia or face “severe consequences.” The group claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter and have threatened more attacks.

Witness claimed that before the five attackers opened fire they told Muslims to stand up and leave because non-Muslims would be targeted.

Harper said acts like this cannot go unpunished and that Canadian mission staff were offering Kenyan authorities assistance to “bring the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice.”

Kenyatta said he himself lost close relatives in the mass shooting.

The Canadian government has issued an advisory to its citizens in Kenya stating that they should “exercise a high degree of caution due to the increasing number of terrorist acts, kidnappings and incidents of crime targeting Westerners throughout the country.” and that public places should be avoided in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Kenyan Army went floor by floor evacuating hostages and bringing them to waiting Red Cross units outside who worked frantically to care for the wounded.

With files from CNN and Reuters