Nairobi: Terror attack came as a bolt from the blue for securitymen

, Sept 22: The deadly terror attack in the Westgate Shopping Mall here on Saturday which claimed 39 lives came as a bolt from the blue for the security agencies. According to the local media, top sources in the security apparatus said that there had been no

input about the attack and the personnel were caught by surprise when it happened.

Initial reports that went to the police read that a robbery was taking place and flying squad personnel and police officers from the local division under which the mall falls first responded. It took a while before the specialised personnel were sent to the scene.

Congress condemns attack

Meanwhile, the Congress slammed the attack in which two Indians were also killed. Party spokesperson Meem Afzal said terrorism became a major challenge and that the entire nation should come together to fight it.

Initial reports said it was a robbery and it took some time to respond aptly

The two Indians killed in the attack included a eight-year-old boy besides a 40-year-old engineer. The family of the latter, Sridhar Natarajan, pleaded for privacy in the wake of the tragedy and said that it was in touch with the external affairs ministry over the updates.

The boy, Parmanshu Jain, is the son of the manager of an Indian bank.

OneIndia News