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'White Widow' integral part of Nairobi mall attack terror outfit al-Shahab

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ANI Washington
Last Updated : Oct 12 2013 | 3:28 PM IST

A Kenyan intelligence report has revealed "White Widow" Samantha Lewthwaite is a central figure in the al Shabaab terrorist group, which masterminded the Nairobi mall massacre last month.

Based on the excerpts from the personal journal of Lewthwaite, the report indicated that the group was planning multiple attacks targeting parliament buildings, UN offices in Nairobi, restaurants and assassinations of senior Kenyan politicians, Fox News reports.

Lewthwaite is a widow of one of the suicide attackers responsible for the deadly bombings on a London subway and bus, which killed 52 people and injured more than 700 in 2005.

According to the report, Al Shabaab has a stronghold in Kenya with major bases in Nairobi and Mombasa, and several cells working in Tanzania, Mali, South Africa, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, and Zambia, as well as in Pakistan and Yemen.

The reports clearly warned up to eight months ago that a "Mumbai-style attack" was being planned on the Westgate shopping mall of Nairobi.

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First Published: Oct 12 2013 | 3:18 PM IST

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