According the BBC News, senior security sources reported that the militants who attacked the Kenyan mall hired a shop weeks in advance. By doing this, they were able to access the service elevators. This allowed them to stockpile their weapons and ammunition. The stockpile gave the attackers a steady source of weapons so that they could quickly re-arm during the siege. This is how the attackers were able to fend off the security forces. 

Kenya's Westgate Mall Siege (Creative Commons)

BBC investigated and reported that the militants had to have IDs to hire the shop. They were supplied fake IDs by corrupted government officials. This is the only way they would have been able to obtain an ID. The corruption in the government enabled this siege to happen. 

The fact that the militants were able to enter the mall means that there was a security breach. The attackers arrived in two cars, entering from the front entrance and through the side entrance. For both accounts, the attackers forced their entrance into the mall with the use of guns and violence. 

The Islamist extremist group, al-Shabab, set up their base at a ventilation shaft on the first floor. This is the base where the attackers began and maintained their siege. When the military was called in to switch with the police on Saturday, the attackers brought out the machine guns they were hiding and opened fire. 

SEE ALSO: Kenyan Mall Siege Over, Terrorists 'Defeated'

Forensic experts are still looking through the remains of the mall for bodies and more clues. Kenya’s Red Cross reported that 61 people are still missing. 

Read the full story at BBC News

Read the full story at CNN News.

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