Nairobi police have apprehended three men who allegedly were caught attempting to enter Garden City Mall (pictured) with an explosive device, reports the BBC.
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The Kenyan men were reportedly entering one of Nairobi’s biggest shopping centers, when one of the trio refused to be checked by security.
After security guards “overpowered” him, that is when they found an explosive (pictured) in one of the men’s bags.
The BBC’s Alastair Leithead in Nairobi says it is believed to have been a small explosive device with a battery and a mobile phone attached, which could have been used as a trigger.
Since the discovery, Police spokesman George Kinoti says the situation is under control, “The situation is under [the] absolute control of our security agencies and the entire country is under multi-agency surveillance.”
In addition, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero thanked the police and mall employees for their “swift handling and containment of the situation.”
This is not the first time a mall has been targeted in Nairobi.
In 2013, al-Shabaab conducted a mass shooting with AK-47s and grenades at Westgate Shopping Mall.
Four men were responsible for killing 67 civilians and wounding 175 during the three-day attack.
The shootings stunned the nation — and world — as surveillance videos captured the bloodshed.
And this past April, al-Shabaab struck again at Garissa University, shooting indiscriminately at students, security, and staff.
There were 147 casualties and at least 79 injuries.
Back in Nairobi, while authorities are yet to tie the trio to al-Shabaab, they have already detonated the explosive device in a “controlled explosion.”
Garden City Mall reopened on Wednesday.
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