Nairobi, Nov. 26 -- When four terrorists bought an old grey Mitsubishi Lancer KAS 575X from a junkyard in Buruburu, Nairobi, they intended to burn it outside Westgate Mall - with all the evidence that might have linked anyone to the raid.
They did not succeed.
When the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (Atpu) officers found the car, it was still intact, with the attackers' trash in place.
Terrorism scholars call the investigative technique employed by Kenyan detectives "trash cover", for it involves analysing discarded material.
That morning, the four attackers had sprinkled petrol inside the car. They also carried a matchbox. Either, detectives later speculated, the last terrorist out of the car made the mistake of closing the doors - thus ex...