Kenya attack ‘just the premiere of Act 1’

Kenyan authorities are holding eight people after the attack by Islamist militants on a Nairobi shopping mall and have released three others after the assault that killed 67 civilians and soldiers, the interior minister said yesterday.

Somali Islamist group al Shabaab said the attack, which ended after a four-day siege, was “just the premiere of Act 1” and suggested it would be followed by other actions by its “warriors”.

As the police investigation advanced, a leading Muslim cleric urged security forces to avoid harassing Muslims in their pursuit of those responsible.