A family on Vancouver's North Shore mourned the loss of a father Sunday after two Canadians died in a weekend terrorist attack in Kenya that killed at least 68.
Karima Damji replaced her Facebook profile picture with a smiling photo of her father, businessman Nagib Damji, drawing condolences from friends for loss of what one termed “a great soul.” Other close family members repeated the act in a silent, but touching act of remembrance.
“I’ll never forget the way his face would light up with joy when he told stories of our family’s history and origins. A beautiful human being,” Abdulrehman Haneef wrote on one family member’s tribute.
Damji’s family was expected to issue a statement after press time.
The two Canadians were killed as gunmen used AK-47 assault rifles and threw grenades at Nairobi’s upscale Westgate mall, a venue frequented by expatriates and wealthy locals.
Officials said the other Canadian killed was diplomat Annemarie Desloges, who worked at the Canadian embassy in Nairobi.
The attack that began Saturday dragged into Sunday, with 10 to 15 terrorists holed up inside the building with as many as 50 hostages as Kenyan authorities mounted what it called a final operation to end the siege. By evening, Kenyan officials said “most” hostages had been rescued.
Somalia’s Islamist rebel group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility and said the attack was revenge for the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia.
A number of Canadians took to social media on Sunday to voice their sympathies for the families of the Canadian victims.
