Nairobi: Two people were killed in a grenade
attack on a church in a town in eastern Kenya, police said
on Sunday, amid a spate of violence that has raised concerns for
the country's key tourism industry.
The attackers threw a grenade at a house inside a
compound of the East African Pentecostal Church in Garissa
late yesterday, killing two people living inside, locals said.
Up to four others were injured in the attack.
"They attacked people who reside in the church compound,"
said a worshipper. "Two people died and the others have been
taken to hospital."
National police deputy spokesman Charles Owino confirmed
that two people had been killed and said a partially exploded
landmine found elsewhere in town had been taken away by
anti-terrorism police.
Asked who was responsible for the attacks, Owino noted
that Garissa is a predominantly Muslim town and that the
target was a church.
"It could be (religious) rivalry. It could be Al Shebab
sympathisers, you can't rule it out. Anything is possible," he
said.
Kenya in mid-October sent troops into neighbouring south
Somalia to fight the Shebab Islamists it accuses of being
behind a spate of kidnappings and cross-border attacks. The
Shebab deny involvement.
Owino said attacks of this sort will not weaken Kenya's
resolve to wipe out the Shebab.
"We will solve the problem of Al Shebab once and for all.
We will keep tracking them until we are able to hand over
Somalia as a safer place to its law-abiding citizens," he
said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, November 06, 2011, 23:33