A couple from Wembley survived the deadly Nairobi siege by cowering out of sight for two terrifying hours while the sound of gunfire rang out around them.
Zulobia Kassam, 69, and husband Mizar, 70, feared for their lives as they remained hidden behind a bookstand in a shop after hearing shots inside the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital of their homeland.
The retired couple, of Oakington Avenue, had just finished a cup of coffee in a cafe and were approaching the entrance of a supermarket when the armed fighters from Somali Islamic guerrilla group Al-Shabab swarmed the mall on Saturday, September 21, taking visitors hostage and shooting dead innocent bystanders, including children.
Mrs Kassam was interviewed at the scene live on air on cable channel CNN by presenter Zain Verjee, her niece.
She said: “It was a petrifying experience for me. I was right cowering at the back of a shelf, these guys just passing near us, almost coming towards us.
“That was very sad, and I wanted to see my family again.
“It’s the first time I have encountered anything like this.
“It’s a very safe country – my home, I grew up here. I went to school just round the corner.
“This is just utterly devastating and unbelievable, what I’ve seen. When I see all this [going on], I feel quite nervous actually, coming out.”
The Kassams’ daughter Zohra Patel, a teaching assistant of Waverley Road, South Harrow, told the Observer: “My mum and dad had gone to visit my dad’s mum.
“They managed to hide. They basically sheltered behind a bookshelf, or similar, for almost two hours and then managed to escape. They were petrified.”
The Kassams, who arrived in Britain 13 years ago from the Ivory Coast, flew back home yesterday (Wednesday).
Last week’s attack only ended when Kenyan security forces stormed and secured the building four days later.
More than 72 people died, including six security personnel, five attackers and at least 18 foreigners – six of whom have been confirmed as British – and more than 150 were wounded.
