Samantha Lewthwaite

Samantha Lewthwaite
Born
Samantha Louise Lewthwaite

(1983-12-05) 5 December 1983 (age 42)
Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Other namesAsmantara, Sherafiyah, White Widow, Sherafiyah Lewthwaite, Natalie Webb
Alma materSchool of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
OrganizationAl-Shabaab
Known forTerrorism
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2002; died 2005)​
Children4

Samantha Louise Lewthwaite (/ˈluːθweɪt/; born 5 December 1983), also known as Sherafiyah Lewthwaite or the White Widow, is a British woman who is one of the Western world's most wanted terrorism suspects. Lewthwaite, the widow of 7/7 London terrorist bomber Germaine Lindsay, is accused of causing the deaths of more than 400 people.

Lewthwaite was an alleged member of the Somalia-based radical Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab.

She is believed to have been behind an attack on those watching football in a bar in Mombasa during Euro 2012. In September 2013, it became aware that she is the mastermind behind the Nairobi Westgate shopping mall attack, though many people do not believe this.

She is nicknamed the "White Widow".

References

  1. ↑ "Lewthwaite, Samantha Louise: Identity Particulars". Wanted List. Interpol. 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.[permanent dead link]
  2. ↑ "'White Widow' Samantha Lewthwaite wanted by Interpol". CBC News. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Pflanz, Mike (17 August 2012). "Britons 'were in last stages of plot to bomb Kenya'". The Daily Telegraph. p. 15.
  4. ↑ Pflanz, Mike; Laing, Aislinn; Rayner, Gordon; Whitehead, Tom (24 September 2013). "Was the 'white widow' among attackers?". The Daily Telegraph. p. 4.
  5. ↑ Kirby, Terry (15 July 2005). "The 'quiet, likeable' man who was the King's Cross bomber". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  6. ↑ Hough, Andrew (29 February 2012). "Samantha Lewthwaite: 7/7 bomber widow previously a 'Home Counties' girl". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Samantha Lewthwaite: shy schoolgirl to terrorism suspect". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "White Widow 'has killed 400 people' as key figure in al-Shabaab". The Daily Telegraph. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Samantha Lewthwaite: Is 'White Widow' behind Kenya mall attack?". The Christian Science Monitor. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  10. ↑ Maguire, Anna (15 March 2013). "Banbridge schoolgirl who became linked to radical Islam". The Belfast Telegraph. p. 3.
  11. ↑ "Nairobi attack: UK woman and Americans 'among militants'". BBC News. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  12. ↑ Marsden, Sam (25 September 2013). "Quiet Home Counties girl who now tops list of terrorism suspects". The Daily Telegraph. p. 12.