"The four are believed to have crossed together by land into Kenya in June" from Somalia, the official who is familiar with ongoing investigations said, adding that the gunmen then based themselves in Nairobi's largely ethnic-Somali district of Eastleigh.
They then spent time training in a popular gym in the busy district, known as 'Little Mogadishu', as they prepared for the September 21 operation. The attack saw them storm the crowded Westgate complex, firing from the hip and hurling grenades at shoppers and staff.
Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab claimed the attack, saying it was a warning to Kenya to pull its troops out of southern Somalia, where they are fighting the extremists as part of an African Union force.
The Red Cross say that at least 20 more people are still missing, with Western officials suggesting as many as 94 could have died in total in the attack, with some victims still potentially remaining under tons of rubble after part of the mall's roof collapsed at the end of the raid.
Detectives believe they have identified all four gunmen, but so far only the two names have been released.
All four are understood to have trained together in Somalia.
Interpol and the FBI are assisting Kenya in trying to identify four charred bodies recovered from the ruins and suspected to be the gunmen.
Two months since the massacre, detectives continue to piece together funding and support networks for the attack, which was well planned and organised.
Despite witness reports, there is no evidence of a female attacker. At the time, there was widespread speculation of the involvement of a British woman dubbed the "White Widow", 29-year old Muslim convert Samantha Lewthwaite.
"We have at present no evidence that Samantha Lewthwaite was involved either in the attack or in the support network in planning," the official added.
The gunmen coldly executed scores of people, with witnesses recounting how in some cases they called out to those wounded, then finished them off at close range.
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