Nairobi attacker's passport illegal: South Africa

Johannesburg, Sept 26: A South African passport belonging to the British woman dubbed the "White Widow", allegedly connected to the Kenyan mall terror attack, was fraudulently acquired, the South African government said Thursday.

The preliminary investigation indicated that "the passport was cancelled in 2011", said South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor in Pretoria, Xinhua reported.

A group of terrorists Sep 21 stormed into the Westgate shopping mall in Kenyan capital Nairobi in the bloodiest terror act in the east African country since the US embassy bombing in 1998.

The attack left at least 61 civilians and six security officers dead.

Kenyan officials indicated that the woman called "White Widow" with a South African passport might have been the planner of the mall terror attack.

South African media Thursday reported that "White Widow" once worked as an IT specialist in Johannesburg.

Pandor said that her department would launch further investigations into the case, including how "White Window" could acquire the passport.

"What we need to do is to look at the application office and check who processed it and how that person met the requirements to be granted a passport," she added.

South African President Jacob Zuma has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Kenya, saying "terrorism in any form and from whichever quarter cannot be condoned".

IANS