No Increased Security At Local Malls in Wake of Kenyan Terrorism

Despite a weekend terror attack that killed scores of people at a retail center in Kenya, law enforcement officials in the San Diego area said Monday there was no indication of any local threat and no immediate need for stepped-up security at malls.

"We're aware of the situation there, and we will address (local security) as we see the need," according to Gary Hassen, a spokesman for the San Diego Police Department.

Noting that SDPD officials do not make their personnel-allocation or other enforcement strategies public, Hassen added that the agency had "the right amount of people in the right places."

Similarly, San Diego County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said she was unaware of any additional measures involving security at shopping areas within the agency's service area.

The shooting rampage at a Westgate mall in Nairobi on Saturday killed at least 62 people and wounded about 175 others, including former San Diego resident Elaine Dang, 26. The Torrey Pines High School graduate was recovering in a hospital in the East African state.

Extremist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, which apparently targeted non-Muslims.

-City News Service