Westgate shopping mall shooting — Terrorist attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya on 21 September 2013
The Westgate attack killed 71 people and exposed Kenya's vulnerability to al-Shabaab terrorism in retaliation for its military intervention in Somalia.
Key Facts
- Total deaths
- 71 (62 civilians, 5 soldiers, 4 attackers)
- Wounded
- Approximately 200
- Attackers
- 4 masked gunmen
- Attack date
- 21 September 2013
- Mall secured
- 24 September 2013
- Perpetrator group
- al-Shabaab
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Al-Shabaab cited Kenya's military deployment in Somalia under Operation Linda Nchi (2011–2012) as justification for the attack, framing it as retribution for Kenyan intervention in the group's home territory.
On 21 September 2013, four masked gunmen stormed the upmarket Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, opening fire on civilians. The siege lasted several days, during which a fire caused part of the mall to collapse. The attack killed 71 people and wounded approximately 200 others before Kenyan security forces declared the mall secured on 24 September.
Kenyan authorities arrested dozens of people following the attack, and in November 2013 a court charged four Somali nationals with harbouring the gunmen. The attack intensified scrutiny of Kenya's security apparatus and highlighted the threat posed by al-Shabaab to civilian targets beyond Somalia's borders.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent