Somalia’s Shebab rebels today dismissed speculation that any woman was involved in an attack by its fighters on a Nairobi shopping mall.
A Twitter post by the group said it “hereby categorically denies the involvement of any woman” in the four-day-long siege at the Westgate mall.
“We have an adequate number of young men who are fully committed and we do not employ our sisters in such military operations,” the group said.
Media reports have speculated one of the attackers was wanted British extremist Samantha Lewthwaite, a Muslim convert known as the “White Widow”.
Lewthwaite is the daughter of a British soldier and widow of suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, who blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people.
Lewthwaite is wanted in Kenya, and is accused of links to Somalia’s Shebab insurgents.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, declaring an end to the siege, said he could not confirm the reports.
“Intelligence reports had suggested that a British woman and two or three American citizens may have been involved in the attack,” Kenyatta said.
“We cannot confirm the details at present but forensic experts are working to ascertain the nationalities of the terrorists.”