Islamic terrorists who have been barricaded in a Kenyan shopping mall today threatened to kill all their remaining hostages as special forces moved in to end the two day siege which has left 69 dead.
Witnesses said they could hear explosions within the vast Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi and there were reports of gunfire in the streets outside.
This morning it emerged that a British man had lost his wife and daughter in the massacre while a prize winning architect, who had joint British and Australian nationality was also among the dead.
Ross Langdon, 33, was killed alongside his heavily pregnant Dutch partner Elif Yavuz. The malaria specialist was just two weeks away from giving birth.
Kenyan troops have moved in to end the siege but spokesman for terror group Al Shabaab Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement posted on an Islamist website that those held inside will 'bear the brunt of any force' used by soldiers against the militants.
The statement read: 'We authorise the mujahedeen inside the building to take actions against the prisoners as much as they are pressed.
'We are telling Christians advancing onto the mujahedeen to have mercy for their prisoners who will bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen.'
The Al-Qaeda linked group claimed to be in contact with the fighters inside the mall and said the gunmen were battling both Kenyan and Israeli forces.
As the stand-off entered its third day, sustained bursts of rapid gunfire erupted at dawn and lasted 15 minutes, and soldiers posted around the complex ducked for cover.
This was followed by three big explosions, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
The Shebab have not said how many people were being held by the dozen-or-so attackers, who marched into the Israeli-owned four-storey complex at midday Saturday, spraying shoppers with machine gunfire and tossing grenades.
One security officer said within half-an-hour of the attack the mall had been turned into 'an abattoir'.
At least 69 people have been killed so far - including three Britons - and 175 people have been left injured.
Those caught up in the atrocity come from 13 different countries including the U.S., France, Ghana, New Zealand and Holland.
Today, tributes began to pour in to Mr Langdon, 33, who was the founding director of the architecture firm Regional Associates, and his partner on social media sites.
Sydney architect Marcus Trimble wrote: 'Horrible news that Ross Langdon and his wife were killed in the Nairobi attacks.
Designer Liane Rossler said the couple were 'very special souls'.
Australian media said Mr Langdon grew up in Tasmania and worked around the world, including in Uganda and Rwanda.
In 2010, Mr Langdon received the University of Sydney's Young Alumni Award in recognition of his pursuit of excellence in the field of architecture on projects located across Australia, Europe and Africa.
There are unconfirmed reports that the death toll of British citizens has risen to five.
One man, who did not want to be named, told the Daily Telegraph that his wife and children had been murdered and he has seen photographs of their bodies, which were taken by soldiers and paramedics inside the building.
Kenya Security personnel take cover
outside the Westgate Mall. Islamist terror group Al Shabaab claimed it
carried out the atrocity in which three Britons were killed and 175
people were left injured
Kenyan military said last night that 'most' of
the hostages have been freed but a spokesman admitted today that the
situation is still not clear
Militants inside the shopping centre said hostages would 'bear the brunt' of any action by the Kenyan military
Terror link: Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, originally
from Buckinghamshire, was described as a 'brave lady' by Islamist
terror group Al Shabaab
It is believed that one of the leaders of the attack is the white English widow of a 7/7 bomber.
Al Shabaab said on Twitter last night that Samantha Lewthwaite, the 'white widow' of London bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was 'in their ranks' and a 'brave lady'.
Soldiers said a white woman wearing a veil was shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic during the bloody massacre inside the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.
The Foreign Office is investigating the claims about Lewthwaite, who is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terrorist cell planning bomb attacks.
Today, David Cameron said he is returning to Downing Street to oversee the response to the terror attack.
The Prime Minister, who has warned the country to be braced for 'more bad news', is cutting short a Balmoral visit to chair a Cobra emergency committee meeting this afternoon.
Gunfire has reportedly been heard from inside the Westgate Mall this morning, where Kenyan Defence Forces are still involved in the hostage rescue operation.
Earlier the authorities said 'most of the hostages' had already been rescued and the majority of the building had been secured in a major military operation.
However, it emerged this morning that hostages may not have been released.
A person with knowledge of the rescue operation told AP that no hostages had been released or rescued overnight. The person insisted on anonymity in order to talk about the rescue response.
The UK has offered Kenya assistance, including intelligence co-operation, in response to the attack by Islamic extremists in the upmarket shopping centre.
A military spokesman admitted this morning that the situation is still unclear.
'We are yet to get confirmation from what's happening in the building,' Col. Cyrus Oguna, a Kenyan military spokesman.
The Kenyan military launched a large military assault on the mall shortly before sundown on Sunday, with one helicopter skimming very close to the roof of the shopping complex as a loud explosion rang out, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley.
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