'White Widow's passport 'fraudulently acquired'

A photo of Samantha Lewthwaite's fake South African passport that was released by Kenyan police in December 2011 (Kenyan Police/AFP/File)

Pretoria (AFP) – British national Samantha Lewthwaite -- who is reportedly linked to the Nairobi mall attacks -- gained a South African passport using an assumed identity, and the document was cancelled in 2011, home affairs minister Naledi Pandor said Thursday.

The passport was "fraudulently acquired" Pandor told media, adding that the Kenyan government had not yet contacted the South African government regarding the Westgate attacks.