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Kenya policeman killed, 11 injured in church attack | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A grenade attack on a church in a police compound in eastern Kenya has killed one police officer and injured at least 11 other people, reports say. | |
The man who died was serving as pastor of the targeted church, in Garissa town near the border with Somalia. | |
Most of the wounded are also reported to be police officers; some of whom were airlifted to hospital in Nairobi. | |
In July, 15 people were killed in raids on churches in Garissa, and suspicion fell on the al-Shabab militant group. | |
Police blamed the Somalia-based group and its sympathisers for the attack, and said they were angry over Kenya's role in a UN-backed intervention force. | |
Kenya's capital Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa have suffered a series of grenade attacks since Kenya sent troops into Somalia last October. | Kenya's capital Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa have suffered a series of grenade attacks since Kenya sent troops into Somalia last October. |
'Confusion' | |
Witnesses were quoted as saying that the grenade in Sunday's attack was thrown from outside the compound, and landed on the iron-sheeted roof of the church while the officers and their families were inside attending a prayer session. | |
"It is believed to be a motor thrown or a grenade because it penetrated the roof before landing within the crowd. There is confusion," one police officer at the scene was quoted by Kenya's The Standard as saying. | |
Gunfire was also reportedly heard at the scene of the explosion. | |
Kenya's Red Cross said 11 wounded people were taken to hospital in Garissa, with three evacuated by air to Nairobi for further treatment. | |
Regional police chief Philip Tuimur said a major operation was under way to track down the attackers. | |
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will once again fall on al-Shabab. | |
In September, one child was killed and three seriously injured in a grenade attack on a church in Nairobi. | In September, one child was killed and three seriously injured in a grenade attack on a church in Nairobi. |
A mob later rounded on Somalis living near the church, injuring 13 people with sticks and stones. | A mob later rounded on Somalis living near the church, injuring 13 people with sticks and stones. |