When Samantha Lewthwaite masterminded the attack in Westgate Mall in Kenya last week, hundreds of innocent people fell victim and she became internationally known as the ‘White Widow’. As a mother and wife, how could this woman plot an attack that would kill innocent women and children? Her husband, Jamal Lewthwaite, was one of the 7/7 suicide bombers on a London subway and exposed Samantha to his extremist Islamic beliefs. On the day of his death, the grieving wife acted as if she had no knowledge nor did she support his actions, which killed 52 commuters. So what possessed her to finish her husband’s work? After being placed in protective custody, Lewthwaite went on to marry another Muslim extremist named Habib Saleh Ghani. In 2009, she had her third child and that is when UK authorities believe she joined al Qaeda. To read more about the time leading up to the White Widow’s massacre plot and see more pictures, click below.
In December 2011, Samantha Lewthwaite was arrested in connection to plan to blow up hotels and restaurants in Mombasa but was let go. After realizing their mistake, police went to search for her in a hide out but only found bomb making materials and her diaries, in which she wrote she wants her children to be martyrs. The White Widow’s has been under the radar until now. Al Qaeda has recognized the strategic advantage of having women do their dirty work. What makes Lewthwaite even more unsuspecting is her ethnicity, she doesn’t fill the stereotypical description of a Islamic extremist.
It’s a shame! They say women are more ruthless than men in the criminal world but for a mother to stage an attack that would harm innocent children, is work of a coward. Authorities should do more police work instead of releasing “unsuspected tourists”, which they used to describe Samantha during her arrest. Oh, because Lewthwaite doesn’t look like a terrorist, she can’t be. I’m no rocket scientist, but the woman has been married to two extremist and was arrested with extremist plotting to bomb public places YET it didn’t raise a red flag. SMH, big dummies.
