The producers of 24: Legacy are publicly apologising for using footage of a real terrorist attack in a recent episode.
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Fox's reboot of the 24 franchise offended some with a scene in the episode '3:00 PM – 4:00 PM', in which footage from the actual Westgate shopping mall massacre was mixed in with fictional footage of US agents looking on.
That 2013 attack in Nairobi, Kenya left 67 dead and more than 170 injured when a terrorist affiliated with the extremist group al-Shabaab opened fire in a busy shopping mall.
Now, Fox and 24: Legacy producers Manny Coto and Evan Katz are promising to remove those real scenes from any future re-airings of the offending episode.
"In episode 4 of 24: Legacy we regretfully included news footage of an attack in Nairobi," Coto and Katz said in a statement. "It will be removed from all future broadcasts and versions of the show.
"We apologise for any pain caused to the victims and their families and are deeply sorry."
Outrage over the original broadcast sparked the hashtag #SomeoneTellFox, in which many on Twitter accused 24 of disrespecting Westgate victims:
24: Legacy also recently faced scrutiny when its opening episode depicted loyalists of a deceased terrorist violently torture and kill an American soldier and his family.
In that case, producers Manny Coto and Evan Katz defended their creative decision and urged viewers to keep watching before forming any judgments about their depiction of Muslims.
"If we didn't know the way the entire season went and how it came out the other side, we might be concerned," Coto explained.
"The story of this season deliberately starts on an image that you might call jingoistic, expected and possibly inflammatory. We weren't trying to be inflammatory, but it's what the story itself called for."
24: Legacy continues on FOX in the US and the UK.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
