Red notice for British woman dubbed the 'white widow' does not relate to Westgate shopping centre attack in Nairobi.


Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for Samantha Lewthwaite, the British woman dubbed the 'white widow' who has been linked to the Kenyan shopping centre attack, in connection with suspected terrorist offences in 2011.

The international police agency said its red notice had been issued at the request of Kenya and circulated to police authorities in 190 countries around the world, activating 'a global tripwire' for the Briton.

The warrant does not relate to the terrorist attack at the weekend on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, despite intense speculation linking Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the July 7 London bombers, to the atrocity, for which the al-Qaida-linked Somali group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility.

Instead, said Interpol, the 29-year-old is being sought on charges of possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony dating back to December 2011.

That month Kenyan police raided a property in Mombasa that had been linked to Lewthwaite, arresting another Briton, Jermaine Grant from east London. Grant is currently on trial for the offences in a secure Mombasa court.

The Interpol warrant said the British woman had previously been wanted in Kenya only for possession of a fraudulently obtain.