Kenyan gov't refutes claim of Westgate Mall demolition

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP):

The militant group behind the takeover of a Nairobi mall claimed yesterday that a Kenyan government assault team carried out "a demolition" of the building, burying 137 hostages in rubble. A government spokesman denied the claim and said Kenyan forces were clearing all rooms, firing as they moved and encountering no one. In a series of tweets from a Twitter account believed to be genuine, al-Shabab also said that "having failed to defeat the mujahideen inside the mall, the Kenyan government disseminated chemical gases to end the siege". It did not specify which gases, which could theoretically include anything from tear gas to poison.