Bendita Malakia, a North Carolina native and survivor of the Kenyan Westgate Mall terrorist attack, returned to the United States on Tuesday.  Two American women who survived the horrific attack in Kenya’s Westgate Mall are giving thanks to the heroes who saved them.  Bendita Malakia, a Harvard grad and lawyer at the World Bank, hid for five hours in a break room at the Nairobi mall with 15 others on Saturday as the Al Qaeda-linked gunmen went from store to store, executing shoppers, she  "When they first came in, they were just shooting. They weren't asking any questions, they were just shooting," said Malakia, 30, who was having lunch at the mall when the attack started.  "Later, they tried to differentiate on religion, but at first they were just shooting."  From their hiding spot, Malakia said she and the others could hear the terrorists' voices on the floors above them, words like "Muslim" and "Christian," and people screaming "Don't shoot" — followed by gunshots, silence and footsteps.  "It was terrifying. We all had a very real sense that we were going to die."  RELATED: KENYA MALL TAKEOVER: FBI ON THE GROUND AIDING INVESTIGATION  At one point, she texted her father back in the U.S.: "Please pray. I love you all very much."  Finally, after five excruciating hours, an "American security team" came into the back room where the hostages were huddled, Malakia said.  One of them told the group, "If you guys want to get out, we understand, it's dangerous, but this is probably your best shot. If you don't get out now you may not get out," she told NBC.  RELATED: BOY SCOLDS GUNMAN AT NAIROBI MALL: 'YOU'RE A BAD MAN'  The State Department has not confirmed that American forces were involved in rescue operations at the mall.  The New York Times reported that Kenyan authorities declined an offer from the U.S. to help, but did receive assistance from Israeli defense forces.  Malakia said the terrorists lobbed two grenades as she and the others ran out of the mall, but they dodged both blasts and managed to get outside safely.  RELATED: BILL CLINTON HONORS HARVARD GRAD KILLED IN KENYA  The 30-year-old Elizabeth City, N.C., native returned to the U.S. on Tuesday.  Video broadcast on NBC News showed her breaking down in tears while hugging family members at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.  She said she hadn't decided whether to return to Kenya.  RELATED: KENYA MALL SIEGE MIRACLE MOM: TERRORIST GAVE MY KIDS MARS BARS AND LET US LIVE  Three Kenyan police officers, armed with walkie-talkies and small guns, pulled dozens of hostages to safety, including American Lyndsay Handler, her husband and 2-year-old daughter.  “I will be forever grateful for those three brave and selfless Kenyans,” Handler said.  The Pentagon denied having a response team in the mall.  “Not sure who the witness saw, but they weren’t ours,” a spokesperson said.  The death toll from the four-day siege stood at 61 on Wednesday, though officials cautioned that the number was likely to rise as they sorted through the rubble inside the Westgate mall.  On a mobile device? Watch the video here.
Harvard grad Bendita Malakia recalls how 'American security forces' led her and 15 others from a break room where they had been hiding for five hours during the siege on Saturday. Lyndsay Handler says she and her family were pulled to safety by Kenyan police officers.