How we fought two Westgate terrorists

The four men accused of helping the gunmen behind the Westgate mall massacre. An assortment of firearms from different countries were used in the Westgate mall terrorist attack in which 67 people were killed, a court heard on Wednesday. PHOTO | FILE | NATION

What you need to know:

  • He was in the company of colleague Wilfred Kavati on the building’s first floor.
  • Mr Miraj said at first he was careful not open fire as he thought he may kill a police officer.
  • The trial court will visit the scene of crime on Tuesday next week.

A police officer caught up in the Westgate siege shot one of the terrorists, a trial court heard Friday.

Mr Ali Miraj, an administration police officer who was part of a team sent to the mall to collect cash for transit from a Safaricom shop when the mall came under attack, narrated how they unsuccessfully tried to ward off the attackers for two and a half hours before running out of bullets.

He was in the company of colleague Wilfred Kavati on the building’s first floor.

The two police officers told the court they fought four armed terrorists before escaping through a lift when they ran out of ammunition.

“I first saw two armed men approach the first floor by taking the escalator and mistook them for plainclothes police officers as they wore bullet proof vests and slung ammunition across their chests.

They were all armed with AK-47 rifles,” Mr Miraj said.

The witness said he used a hand signal to ask the approaching men “if anything was wrong” but they responded by shooting at him.

He was dressed in his uniform, he said.

Mr Miraj said at first he was careful not open fire as he thought he may kill a police officer.

“I thought they were officers from the GSU Recce squad but from their reaction, I knew they were not good people,” he said.

“I took cover behind a pillar and began shooting back.

My colleague Kavati was two pillars away from me, we managed to repulse the two before another two appeared from an upper floor and started shooting at us,” Mr Miraj recalled.

During the first round of shooting, the officer told the court he shot one of the terrorists in the leg but the man quickly limped away.

The wounded terrorist’s accomplices then appeared from the upper floor and hurled a grenade.

“I saw the man I shot limping away... I knew I had injured him on the leg.

He was the one who was trying to get to the first floor using the escalator, both men retreated and hid, ” Mr Miraj said.

Rescue shoppers

He said the shooting subsided for about 10 minutes before two other terrorists emerged above them.

The terrorists on the upper floors threw a grenade at the officers but missed.

“We used the lift to escape and went out through a back exit to the loading zone where our vehicle had been parked,” Mr Miraj said.

He said they met two other armed police officers, trying to rescue civilians.

The trial court will visit the scene of crime on Tuesday next week.

Hearing continues on January 27 and 28.