a huge milestone for a shopping complex in nairobi, kenya. the westgate shopping mall is opening nearly two years after islamic militants stormed it killing many people. we have more on the reaction from the survivors and others impacted by the massacre. she joins us live from nairobi. it s amazing that this mall has come back after all of that carnage we saw two years ago, robin. reporter: yes, natalie, the doors to westgate mall just reopened. there was a small crowd and clapping inside the mall. those shops that reopened held short prayer services to remember their colleagues that were killed. during that day, this area became almost a war zone
kenya. the westgate shopping mall opened a short while ago, within the past hour nearly two years after islamist militants stormed the mall killing 67 people. that rampage lasted for more than a day. many kenyans see the reopening as a victory over terrorism. others refuse to go back inside. cnn s robyn kriel has more on the mixed reaction from survivors and others impacted by the massacre, and you ve got someone who has been in the mall and shopping i guess. you join us now live from nairobi. hello, robyn. reporter: hi natalie. amidst the tales, the horrific tales of horror of people who witnessed unbelievably just terrible things that day when the four al shabaab gunmen attacked the mall there were also really positive stories of
i would be happy if it opened as a memorial site. reporter: this was the interior of westgate four months after the attack. it s hard to find any visible remnants of the massacre that took place inside the shopping mall. while the walls have been rebuilt and painted and the shattered glass replaced many kenyans are asking just how this attack could have taken place, who carried it out and what happened to the killers. it bothers me for the families and also for me to feel safe in this country. our questions are not answered. reporter: this survivor asked not to be identified because she s afraid of speaking out. personally i m not going back for reasons being i was there. reporter: she was having lunch when a hand grenade rolled toward her table killing her waitress. she died right in front of me. i was there and experienced it.
tonight, authorities in kenya are looking for this man in connection with a brazen attack at a university. 147 people were killed. dozens were wounded. the islamist militant group al-shabaab claimed responsibility. attacked the westgate shopping mall in nairubi two years ago. robin joining us with the latest. can you walk us through what happened? reporter: well, wolf, at about 5:30 this morning, students, some of whom walking to morning prayers, others who were asleep woken up by gunshots and explosions, we understand. what was immediately reported as a number of gunmen but we know
back back of the head and moved on. reporter: yes, it s interesting. people here are linking the two attacks in lots of ways. four gunmen are thought to be responsible for the west gate shopping mall attack two years ago and four gunmen for this one. west gate appeared to be more indiscriminate. this one started with indiscriminate gunfire. clearly first aim was to kill as many people as possible and then they began singling out christians. some people some christians tried to pretend to be muslim. the gunmen asked them to recite the main muslim holy prayer. if they couldn t they were shot in the head. one other thing, joe and mika just to point out there is a bit of an inyou rery going on here because there was clear intelligence that something was going to happen. the university of nairobi here posted a notice at its university a week ago saying that terrorists are planning to