Brainstorming Response Options in the Nairobi Mall Incident

by Greg Ellifritz

As I write this, Kenyan officials just declared the terrorist hostage siege in a Nairobi shopping mall to be over. A current count of fatalities is at 75, with nearly 200 more reported injured in the three day event. For those of you who haven't heard about this terrorist attack, here is a brief description....

Approximately 10-15 terrorists from the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab attacked a Nairobi shopping mall [Saturday September 21] around noon. al-Shabaab is a Somali Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist group. The group live tweeted to their followers during the attack at the mall. Apparently, al-Shabaab planned the attack for quite some time, actually renting a storefront in the mall where they could amass their weapons and explosives. It took three days of heavy fighting for the Kenyan defense forces to re-take the shopping mall.

I will do a complete tactical debrief on the incident once more information is released. Right now I want to focus on a single issue. Early in the attack, a former British Royal Marine (who was employed as a security contractor) armed only with a handgun, engaged the terrorists and made multiple entries into the mall to save injured hostages. The man has also been identified as a former Irish Army Ranger. Please read the news story below about his heroic acts before moving on to the rest of this article.

Ex Royal Marine with a handgun saved 100 lives as terrorists ran amok

In essence, this man was placed into a position similar to that of any of my readers who carry concealed handguns. He was alone, armed with a handgun and had to make a choice about what to do when the mall he was in came under attack. Put yourself in his shoes. What would you do in that scenario?

You are a single person armed with your concealed carry pistol. You are going up against 10-15 terrorists armed with assault rifles, explosives, and at least one belt-fed machine gun. You have no body armor, communications, or friends with guns. What is your response?

Don't think this through casually. This is a very important question to answer. This isn't the movies, and your name isn't John McClain. The odds here SUCK! You are fighting an opponent that tremendously outnumbers you and has superior weaponry. The way I see it, you have three response options. Let's brainstorm those options as I provide a "choose your own adventure" checklist of things to consider for each one...

Option 1- Get Out!

This is going to be the safest option. Use your firearm to safely cover your own (and, if present, your family’s) escape.

You aren't under an obligation to protect anyone but yourself and your family. Getting out is the safest thing you can do and I would never speak badly about someone who chose that option.

I once had a student in a scenario class who ran out of the scenario when he had a clear option to shoot the bad guy and save some lives. I asked him why he left and he said:

"My gun is for me. Those people had the same opportunity I did to seek high level defensive training and carry their own weapon. The chose to sit around and watch TV instead."

That's a pretty powerful statement that most of the "sheepdogs" need to think about.

If you do choose the escape option, you will also need to decide the following:

- Am I going to get in my car and leave the scene, or stay around and help?

- Do I have any supplies or knowledge that would allow me to help other survivors outside?

- Do I have any vital intelligence (details about the terrorists location, weapons, or numbers) that I should communicate to law enforcement?

- As I escape, should I keep my gun in hand, or hidden?

- Am I wearing clothing or footwear that might hamper my escape?

- What's the best way out? Some reports stated that the terrorists set up at exit points to shoot fleeing hostages. Did you consider that it might be safer to leave through one of the individual store back doors? Do you know which stores in the mall have outside exits?

Option 2- Assist as many people out of the mall as possible

This is the option that our British gunman appeared to choose. He made multiple trips back into the mall in order to escort hostages outside and provide medical aid. He used his pistol to engage the terrorists when necessary to defend himself and the hostages he was trying to protect.

This is an option that appeals to many of my readers. It is an incredibly heroic and dangerous act. If you choose to do this, here are some things to consider...

- Are you going to make entry and exit from the same location every time? How do you avoid getting locked out when the terrorists secure the doors?

- Do you actually have the physical stamina to pull this off?

- How do you attract the attention of the hidden hostages without also attracting the attention of the terrorists?

- Gun in hand or gun hidden? How will that affect the hostages view of you? How do you ensure you are not shot by another CCW permit holder or off duty cop that you are trying to rescue? How do you differentiate yourself from the terrorists?

- Triage- Do you carry out the severely wounded or concentrate on getting a larger number of "walking wounded" out instead?

- When do you know when it is getting too dangerous to continue? You aren't any good to anyone if you are dead. Under what criteria would you cease action?

- Some folks carry long guns and "active [killer] bags" in their vehicles for events like this. In most active killer situations, there is no time to get them. In this situation, there is. Would you take the time to get your kit. or would you maximize the number of casualties you can evacuate in the given time period?

Option 3- Go Hunting

Law enforcement response to an active killer event is now focused on finding an neutralizing the killer. Helping victims is great, but stopping the killer from creating more victims is a better strategy. You could take your CCW piece and make entry with the intent of killing as many terrorists as possible. In this scenario, that would mean almost certain death given the odds. But it would also mean a greater chance of stopping the killing. Would you consider it? Big risks, big rewards. If you go hunting, think about these things...

- Your pistol isn't a good choice up against rifles. Can you kill a terrorist and take his rifle? That would help your odds of survival, but it also causes some problems. What if a cop or CCW permit holder sees you? Are you likely to be mistaken for a terrorist? How do you avoid that problem?

- Where do you start? Do you work towards the sound of gunfire or set up an ambush? Do you work from the top down or bottom up? How do you move between locations without being spotted or shot? Remember, the terrorists are also likely in control of the mall security video feeds as well.

- The movements of large amounts of people to conceal your own movements? What about distractions like smoke (fire extinguishers) or noise (fire alarms)? Would they help and how would you generate them?

- How do you deal with barricaded belt fed machine guns with only your pistol or rifle? A large fire hose might work better. Have you considered using that?

- Do you know how to avoid booby traps and explosives? Would you mark those that you encounter to help other responders?

- Would you notify cops that you were going in? Would you maintain communications with police as you act? If so, how?

- Do you have contingency plans for if you are overwhelmed or pinned down? How do you know when it is too dangerous to continue? What is your exit strategy?

These are some hard choices. None of them are wrong. I urge my readers to think about these things in advance to better prepare if such an event happens here. Which option would you choose?

Greg Ellifritz is the full time firearms and defensive tactics training officer for a central Ohio police department. He holds instructor or master instructor certifications in more than 75 different weapon systems, defensive tactics programs and police specialty areas. Greg has a master's degree in Public Policy and Management and is an instructor for both the Ohio Peace Officer's Training Academy and the Tactical Defense Institute.

For more information or to contact Greg, visit his training site at Active Response Training.