Rumors swirl of British 'White Widow'

From Wire Reports
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 8:54 p.m. | Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 8:54 p.m.

20130924T173954Z1141527259GM1E99P03V801RTRMADP3KENYAATTACKBRITAIN

REUTERS

A copy of the fake South African travelling passport of Samantha Lewthwaite in this handout photo released by the Kenyan police in December 2011. A British security source said on Tuesday it was a possibility that the widow of a suicide bomber who attacked London in 2005 was involved in the siege of a Nairobi shopping mall where Islamist fighters killed at least 62 people. When asked about reports that Lewthwaite, dubbed the 'white widow' by the British media, was directly involved in the attack in Kenya, the source said: 'It is a possibility. But nothing definitive or conclusive yet.' REUTERS/Kenyan Police Service/Handout via Reuters (KENYA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

NAIROBI — As Kenyan special forces closed in on holdout Islamist fighters battling in a Nairobi mall on Tuesday, speculation grew that a British woman nicknamed “The White Widow” was among the attackers.

One name stands out: Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, daughter of a British soldier and widow of suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, who blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people.

Media reports have linked her to plotting or masterminding attacks across the Horn of Africa, though often with little clear evidence of her role.

No official confirmation has been given. A senior Kenyan government official said a woman was among the attackers, but it is “impossible” based on the government's photo evidence to determine whether the woman is Lewthwaite.

Email Newsletters