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Kenya mall attack through a photographer’s lens
Photographer Jennifer Huxta just happened to be near the Westgate Mall in Nairobi where she captured some powerful images of unsung heroes during the terrorist attack.
An off-duty SAS soldier is being heralded as a hero following reports he saved 100 adults and children from the Nairobi shopping centre massacre. With a handgun tucked into his waistband, the man is pictured here aiding two women out of the Westgate mall moments after a terrorist squad attacked. The soldier, who cannot be named, was reportedly enjoying a coffee with friends when Islamists armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades stormed the building. He is reported to have re-entered the building 12 times during the shooting to help shoppers to safety.
Jennifer Huxta/Barcroft Media /Landov
Sometimes you see a photograph that stops you cold.
You have to squint a bit, take a closer look, and really take in what you are seeing.
We noticed just such a photo earlier this week.
It was taken outside the Westgate mall in Nairobi, as the terrorist attack there unfolded.
In the picture, there's a man with his arms around two women.
He's walking them out of the mall.
The women both look like they're in shock.
And the man – whose face is obscured — has a hand gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans.
It's been reported that the man is a British special forces soldier who was off-duty and having a coffee at the mall when the attack started.
That startling moment was captured by Jennifer Huxta.
She's a freelance photographer based in Nairobi.
We tracked her down to ask her about that photo and what it's been like documenting this horrific event and its aftermath