Deadly attack on shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya

On Sept. 21 armed gunman began firing and throwing grenades inside an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi. The siege continued into Sep 22. The death toll is at 62 people, with 200 people injured. An unknown amount of hostages and gunmen remain in the mall while Kenyan security continues to try to bring order to the scene. Four American citizens were also injured in the attack. It has been found that the gunmen are linked to al Qaeda and Somalia’s Islamic extremist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack was in retribution for Keyna forces in Somalia. Al-Shabaab had threatened in 2011 to attack Nairobi if Kenyan forces didn’t leave Somalia, but Kenya never had a large scale terrorist assault. The U.S. has offered assistance.

*This event is still in progress and some of the statistics may not be up to date.

12 Killed by gunman at D.C. navy yard

On Sept. 16 a gunman killed 12 people in a shooting at a D.C. Navy Yard. Police officers were forced to shoot the suspect, 34 year old Aaron Alexis, a former naval reservist, and he later died from his wounds. Alexis was working as a military subcontractor, which was how he gained access to the navy yard. It was believed that there may have been two other gunmen, but later it was clarified that Alexis was working alone. Several people were wounded and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The F.B.I is treating the shooting as a criminal investigation, and not as an act of terrorism.

Iranian government states to never develop nuclear weapons

On Sept. 18 Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons. It was also mentioned that the Iranian government has full authority to negotiate a nuclear deal with the West.

Brazilian President postpones visit to United States

President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil has postponed her visit to the United States after discovering that the National Security Agency has been intercepting private communications and spying. She was scheduled to arrive on Oct. 23, the first visit by a Brazilian president since 1995. However, President Barack Obama and President Rousseff agreed to push back the visit until the spying matter is resolved.

31 Killed in train crash in Canada

On Sept. 18 a train collided with a double-decker bus in Ottawa, Canada, killing six people. 31 people were taken to the hospital, and 11 of them are in critical condition. The bus driver along with five passengers died in the crash.