Amid corpses, FBI works in Kenya mall

Associated Press

NAIROBI, KENYA

Working near bodies crushed by rubble in a bullet-scarred, scorched mall, FBI agents began fingerprint, DNA and ballistic analysis Wednesday to help determine the identities and nationalities of victims and al-Shabab gunmen who attacked the shopping center, killing more than 60 people.

A gaping hole in the mall’s roof was caused by Kenyan soldiers who fired rocket- propelled grenades inside, knocking out a support column, a government official said.

The official, who insisted he not be identified because he was sharing security information, said the soldiers fired to distract a terrorist sniper so hostages could be evacuated.

The current death toll is 67 and is likely to climb with uncounted bodies remaining in the wreckage of the Nairobi mall.

An additional 175 people were injured, including more than 60 who remain hospitalized.

At least 18 foreigners were among those killed.

Al-Shabab, the Somali Islamic extremist group which carried out the attack, said Wednesday that foreigners were a “legitimate target” and confirmed witness accounts that gunmen separated Muslims from other people and let the Muslims go free.

The others were gunned down or taken hostage.