22 killed and Hostages Taken as Gunmen Open Fire at Nairobi Shopping Centre

At least 22 people have been killed by gunmen who opened fire in a suspected terror attack in Kenya's capital.

Reports have now surfaced that the gunman have been "pinned down" in an isolated area of the mall by Kenyan soldiers, AFP have reported.

A security source told the news agency that "the rest of the mall appears to be secure".

Eleven have been confirmed dead by the Kenyan Interior Ministry, amid fears that the death toll will continue to rise.

Reports estimated that up to 36 are also being held hostage by the hostage-takers inside the shopping mall, although this figure has not been confirmed.

Kenyan Red Cross Secretary General Abbas Guled said: "I have counted twenty five dead, and that is just from the mall alone."

At a press conference, the Internal Security Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo said "terrorists and threats have been present in Kenya for quite some time now".

He said it could be a terrorist attack, but refused to confirm this. The ministry has described the situation as under control.

Kenyan soldiers have now moved into the building in an attempt to flush out gunman, Reuters have reported.