Mastermind Of Kenya Mall Attack, Samantha Lewthwaite Escaped Being Caught In Nigeria; Declared Wanted By Interpol

Indications have emerged that Samantha Lewthwaite, the British widow known as "White Widow" accused of masterminding the terrorist attack on Kenyan shopping mall in which over 60 people were killed, was in Nigeria and evaded detection, according to a report in the UK-based newspaper, Daily Mirror.

According to the newspaper, "In Nigeria, where police forces are notoriously corrupt, there were reports that she (Lewthwaite) was almost caught a while ago, but she bribed her way out of trouble."

The full report read: "If White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite is on the run she will be hard to catch. If a Lewthwaite were to be on the run in Kenya, Nigeria or Somalia, it would be easier to evade detection than in Europe.

"She would be wearing a veil, and sensitivities about searching Muslim women would be observed so she could easily slip through difficult checkpoints.


"In Nigeria, where police forces are notoriously corrupt, there were reports she was almost caught a while ago, but she bribed her way out of trouble," the news report said.

"Extremist communities such as al-Shabaab are tight-knit in these countries, making it difficult to recruit agents to penetrate them and trace her.

"And Lewthwaite may hold a great deal of power as a special kind of jihadist, having proved her worth in previous attacks.

"As a white convert mum and widow of a 7/7 bomber, she would be invaluable propaganda and would command huge loyalty.

"Also, the austere nature of her adopted culture means she would rarely go out, so there would be few opportunities to follow her.

"Bounties have failed to nail jihadists as money has no value to individuals loyal to the cause."

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Ambassador to Kenya, Ambassador Akin Oyateru, yesterday confirmed that no Nigerian citizen was affected in the terrorist attacks or involved with the terrorists in the Westgate Shopping Mall attacks which ended Tuesday after a four-day siege.

"We have gone through the list with a fine tooth comb and found no Nigerian name among the dead or the injured," Oyateru told journalists.

The ambassador recalled that at the time the siege started, most members of the Nigerian community were attending a pan-Nigerian meeting at a hotel in the central part of the city.

"The meeting was immediately secured and the Nigerians given security briefing," he disclosed.
Oyateru, however, expressed Nigeria's
condolences to the government and people of Kenya.

He called on the Nigerian community in Kenya to heed to the calls for blood donations for the injured and also contribute to the relief efforts in whatever way they could.

The Nigerian Mission in Nairobi, he disclosed, has already donated a modest sum of money to assist towards relief efforts, he said.

"Neither the Kenyan or Nigerian government or any other government would succumb to blackmail. These are people feeding on the Fun of violence, they have no cause, they just indulge in mindless killings," he said.

He appealed to the public to always be vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies.

"Terrorism is a transnational problem that confronts all nations and everyone has to work together to combat this. Kenya has responded that it will not pull out of Somalia, it will stay for as long as it is required," Oyateru said.

In the meantime, International police body Interpol has issued a wanted persons notice for Briton Samantha Lewthwaite, at Kenya's request.

Ms Lewthwaite, 29, is the widow of one of the four suicide bombers who attacked London on 7 July 2005.

Known colloquially as the "white widow", she has been linked with Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab.

Interpol did not link the warrant to the Nairobi shopping complex attack that left at least 67 dead.

However, it comes after much speculation linking Ms Lewthwaite to events there.

Al-Shabab was behind the attack and subsequent four-day siege at the Westgate shopping complex in the Kenyan capital.

An Interpol statement said she was "wanted by Kenya on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011".

The Interpol alert, known as a "Red Notice", requires member countries to detain the suspect pending extradition procedures.

Ms Lewthwaite - who is believed to use the alias "Natalie Webb" - had previously only been wanted for the alleged possession of a fraudulently obtained South African passport.

She is the widow of Germaine Lindsay, one of the four bombers involved in the 7 July terror attacks in London in 2005 in which 52 people were killed and hundreds more injured.

The BBC's Dominic Casciani says Interpol's red notice acts like a global wanted poster, but it's also a concession by the Kenyan security forces that she is an international danger, not just someone who should be regarded as a passport fraudster.

Kenya is continuing three days of official mourning for the civilian and military victims of the siege.

The funeral of pregnant television and radio star Ruhila Adatia-Sood was one of many being held on Thursday.

Flags are flying at half mast amid visibly tighter security around the Kenyan capital. Security guards were scanning passengers with metal detectors before they boarded buses.

Kenyan investigators have been joined by experts from the US, UK, Germany, Canada and Interpol to comb the sprawling shopping complex for DNA, fingerprints and ballistic clues.

On Thursday the UK Foreign Office said that the number of British nationals known to have been killed in the attack was lower than previously thought. It had reported that six Britons were among those killed, but it now says that one of the dead previously thought to be British is in fact a Kenyan national.

But at the same time the Foreign Office has warned that the number of British dead could rise before the search of the shopping centre is over.

Somali Islamist group al-Shabab has said it had carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenyan army operations in Somalia.

The militants stormed the Westgate centre on Saturday, throwing grenades and firing indiscriminately at shoppers and staff.

Twitter posts on an al-Shabab account said the group's militants had held 137 people hostage, and claimed the hostages had died after security forces fired chemical agents to end the siege.

A government spokesman denied any chemical agents were used, and authorities called on Kenyans to ignore militant propaganda.

Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.

About 4,000 Kenyan troops have been serving in the south of Somalia since October 2011 as part of an African Union force supporting Somali government forces.

The group is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.

Its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.


Sources: Daily Mail U.K and BBC News

*I can't imagine the collaboration between White Widow and Shekau.. I am sure Nigeria doesn't even know she strolled in*