Nairobi Westgate attack: Six Britons believed killed

Six Britons are thought to be among those killed in an attack by militants on a shopping centre in Kenya.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, speaking after a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee, said the number was their "best estimate" but the figure could increase.

Five British casualties are confirmed and another victim is "thought" to be British, Mr Hammond told the BBC.

At least 62 people have been killed since the attack began on Saturday.

Mr Hammond added that there was no evidence Britons were among the militants who had attacked the Westgate mall in Nairobi.

One of the UK victims has been named as architect Ross Langdon, who has British-Australian citizenship

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Earlier, British fatalities had been thought to stand at four. Mr Hammond said next-of-kin had been informed.

Kenyan security forces have launched an assault on the shopping complex in an attempt to break the three-day siege.

'Tragic loss'

The Foreign Office is still not confirming the names of the British victims of the attack, but it has confirmed that one had dual British-Australian citizenship.

Mr Langdon's firm, Regional Associates, said he died alongside his pregnant partner, Elif Yavuz.

Paying tribute, the company said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and colleague Ross Langdon and his partner Elif Yavuz.

"Profoundly talented and full of life, Ross enriched the lives of all those around him. Ross's leadership on projects throughout East Africa was inspirational, and he will be will be very, very sorely missed by us all."

Mr Langdon, who graduated from Sydney University, was a co-founder of Langdon Reis Architects in London in 2008 and a director of Regional Associates.

He had been working on projects in London, Sydney, Norway, Uganda and Rwanda.

Another of those killed was a Peruvian public health consultant who had been set to take up a full-time post at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Dr Juan Jesus Ortiz-Iruri, 63, was due to arrive at its Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health (CMNH) this week.

Head of the centre, Professor Nynke van den Broek, said: "All at CMNH have been affected by Juan's death under such shocking circumstances. His loss will be felt by us all both professionally and personally."

Dr Ortiz-Iruri had worked with the centre on a number of projects from his base in Nairobi.

'Despicable attack'

The prime minister cut short a visit to Balmoral to chair a meeting of Cobra on Monday evening.

Mr Hammond and Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, arrived at the Cabinet Office for the meeting.

Earlier, Mr Hammond chaired a third Cobra meeting about the attack. He said the UK "stands ready" to provide more assistance to Kenya.

Video footage of the attack shows shoppers running for cover on Saturday

Sporadic gunfire is continuing at the mall where suspected al-Shabab militants remain holed up.

Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said: "Our forces are in control of all the floors."

Mr Lenku confirmed the number of dead. The Kenyan Red Cross earlier reported that 69 people had been killed but later revised its figure to 62. In addition to the death toll, at least 170 people have been injured.

The Kenyan armed forces said three "terrorists" had been killed and all escape routes sealed off, with troops now focusing on clearing the building.

The Somali al-Shabab movement has said it is behind the attack, which it said was in response to Kenyan military operations in Somalia..

Mr Cameron called it "an absolutely sickening and despicable attack of appalling brutality".

"These appalling terrorist attacks that take place where the perpetrators claim they do it in the name of a religion - they don't," he said.

"They do it in the name of terror, violence and extremism and their warped view of the world. They don't represent Islam or Muslims in Britain or anywhere else in the world."

'Baseless' reports

A Twitter account purporting to be an al-Shabab spokesman, which has now been shut down, named a 24-year-old man from London as one of the gunmen.

A later Twitter account, also claiming to be from al-Shabab, named Samantha Lewthwaite.

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But an al-Shabab commander, who called himself Abu Omar, described as "baseless" reports that some of the attackers were of British or American nationalities.

Media reports suggested Ms Lewthwaite, the widow of 7 July bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was involved in the attack but the Foreign Office said it had no evidence and was unwilling to speculate.

Ms Lewthwaite, who comes from Aylesbury and has been dubbed the "White Widow" by some newspapers, is on the run and is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terror cell.

Al-Shabab, which is part of the al-Qaeda network, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.

There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia, where they have been fighting the militants since 2011.

British nationals concerned about friends or family can contact the Foreign Office on +44 (0)20 7008 0000.