Off-duty British soldier saved 100

A man rescues a child from the Westgate Mall. Photo/FILE 

In Summary

• The Daily Mail said the soldier’s picture was taken at the scene but that he cannot be named for security reasons.

By PAUL REDFERN

A British off-duty SAS soldier has emerged as one of the many heroes in connection with the attack on the Westlands shopping mall over the weekend.

The armed soldier was having coffee at the Westgate mall when it was attacked by terrorists on Saturday.

He quickly helped two women escape from the complex and then returned to the building on a dozen occasions, despite intense gunfire, according to the Daily Mail.

A friend in Nairobi said: ‘‘What he did was so heroic. He was having coffee with friends when it happened.

“He went back in 12 times and saved 100 people. Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.”

The Daily Mail said the soldier’s picture was taken at the scene but that he cannot be named for security reasons.

British Special Forces regularly train and operate out of Kenya, and have been involved in tracking UK citizens involved with hardline Islamists in Somalia and Yemen.

It is also known that former members work with both the UK and Kenyan governments and security firms across East Africa.

SAS specialists were in Nairobi on Sunday night, and on standby to assist in any rescue mission if requested, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said.