Interpol issues alert for 'White Widow' stemming from 2011 Kenyan incident
Who is the 'White Widow'?
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Interpol says the notice relates to 2011 explosives charges
- Red notices alert police that a person is wanted
- Samantha Lewthwaite has been dubbed the "White Widow"
- Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed a mall in Kenya last weekend
Reports that a white
woman was among the terrorists who stormed a mall in Nairobi last
weekend have prompted a slew of media speculation about Lewthwaite, a
British woman whose husband was one of the suicide bombers in the 2005
London terror attacks.
Photos: Kenya mourns mall shooting victims
FBI seeks access to Kenya attack site
Interpol issues alert for 'White Widow'
Aftermath of the Nairobi mall seige
Known as the "White
Widow," Lewthwaite, 29, has been wanted by international
counterterrorism officials since authorities found bomb-making materials
in her Mombasa, Kenya, apartment in 2011. She vanished shortly before a
raid.
The red notice is for charges related to the explosives, not the Westgate Mall attack, Interpol said.
Red notices issued by
Interpol alert law enforcement around the world that a person is wanted,
but they are not international arrest warrants.
"By requesting an
Interpol Red Notice, Kenya has activated a global 'tripwire' for this
fugitive," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.
"Through the Interpol Red
Notice, Kenyan authorities have ensured that all 190 member countries
are aware of the danger posed by this woman, not just across the region
but also worldwide," he said.
A senior Kenyan official
said Tuesday a woman was involved in the attack. Another official said
Wednesday that authorities can't say much about who the woman was or
what she was doing.
At least 67 people were killed and as many as 63 people are still unaccounted for.
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