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Kenya attack: Suspected al-Shabaab militants kill 48 people in Mpeketoni Kenya attack: Suspected al-Shabaab militants kill 48 people in Mpeketoni
(about 1 hour later)
At least 48 people were killed in a small coastal town in Kenya on Sunday evening, after dozens of suspected Somali militants armed with automatic weapons attacked a police station, a bank and hotels, according to police. At least 48 people were killed in Kenya on Sunday evening, after dozens of suspected Somali gunmen sped into the small coastal town of Mpeketoni in two minibuses, and shot World Cup spectators in a hall, as well as attacking hotels, a bank, and the police station, according to the authorities.
Kenya’s top commander David Kimaiyo confirmed the death toll on Monday, and said an officer who worked as a driver for a police chief in the town was among the fatalities. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the violence that raged until Monday morning, but Kenyan authorities suspect al-Shabaab – the al-Qaida linked terror group based in neighbouring Somalia – are behind the attack.
The militants hijacked a van and used it to travel to targets including the police station in the town of Mpeketoni, local residents told BBC News. Witnesses said that the gunmen threw explosives into the station before entering to steal weapons. Witnesses said that a 30-strong group of militants threw explosives into a police station before entering to steal weapons.
The gunmen then set two hotels on fire, and sprayed bullets into the streets during the incident that started at around 8pm local time, as residents watched Fifa World Cup matches on TV.The gunmen then set two hotels on fire, and sprayed bullets into the streets during the incident that started at around 8pm local time, as residents watched Fifa World Cup matches on TV.
The attack reportedly met little resistance from Kenya’s security apparatus, and raged on until early Monday morning in the town around 30 miles (20km) southwest of the tourist resort of Lamu, and about 60 miles (100 km) from the Somali border.
A Reuters television reporter in the town saw at least six bodies strewn on roads, as well as ten burnt-out vehicles in the area.A Reuters television reporter in the town saw at least six bodies strewn on roads, as well as ten burnt-out vehicles in the area.
The attack reportedly met little resistance from Kenya’s security apparatus in the town around 30 miles (20km) southwest of the tourist resort of Lamu, and about 60 miles (100 km) from the Somali border.
Kenya’s top commander David Kimaiyo confirmed the death toll on Monday, and said an officer who worked as a driver for a police chief in the town was among the fatalities.
Many Mpeketoni residents fled from the attack into nearby forests, said Kimaiyo, adding no arrests had yet been made in connection with the attack.Many Mpeketoni residents fled from the attack into nearby forests, said Kimaiyo, adding no arrests had yet been made in connection with the attack.
Some of the casualties had been evacuated to a hospital in Lamu, situated along the long coastline that runs north from Mombasa port to Somalia, Kenya Red Cross told reporters on Monday. “Right now it is still premature to say who is behind the attack until investigations are done, but the initial suspicion is Al Shabaab,” Mwenda Njoka, spokesman of Kenya's internal security ministry, told a Kenyan television channel.
The assault is the worst since last September when al-Shabaab gunmen attacked Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, killing 67 people. At the time, al-Shabaab said they would continue their attacks until Kenya withdraws its troops from Somalia.
But Kenya has said it will not withdraw its troops, who are deployed as part of an African peacekeeping force battling militants.
The attack mirrors an al-Shabaab bombing in Uganda against crowds watching World Cup soccer matches on television in Kampala in 2010, killing 77 people. Uganda also has troops in Somalia.
Warning: Video contains some upsetting imagesWarning: Video contains some upsetting images
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the violence, but Kenyan authorities suspect al-Shabaab – the al-Qaida linked terror group based in neighbouring Somalia - or criminals. However, al-Shabaab used its radio station in neighbouring Somalia to broadcast denials that it had carried out the attack, sources in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, told the Telegraph.
"All the dead are men. There are no women or children, and this fairly complicates matters. We may not tell immediately whether the attacks were done by Al Shabaab, the MRC (Mombasa Republican Council) or just mere criminals," Leonard Omollo, Lamu County police commander, told reporters. “The attackers were so many and were all armed with guns. They entered the video hall where we were watching a World Cup match and shot indiscriminately at us,” witness Meshack Kimani told reporters.
Read more: We should worry about online religious extremismHow ivory funds the al-Shabaab militantsAl-Shabaab's Somali stadium of death “They targeted only men but I was lucky. I escaped by hiding behind the door,” she added.
As residents watched football at the Breeze View Hotel, the attackers selected men to kill. The gunmen ordered the women to watch, telling them that this is what Kenyan troops do to Somali men in Somalia, according to a police commander speaking on a condition of anonymity. When the gunmen arrived at the Breeze View Hotel in the town, there to they only pulled men aside, but ordered the women to watch as they killed them, they were copying what Kenyan troops do to Somali men inside Somalia, a police commander said on condition of anonymity.
The Kenyan Interior Ministry confirmed that two minivans entered the town at about 8pm Sunday, from which militants disembarked and began shooting. Kenya's National Disaster Operations Center added that military surveillance planes were launched shortly afterwards. Some of the casualties had been evacuated to a hospital in Lamu, a tourist resort situated along the long coastline that runs north from Mombasa port to Somalia, Kenya Red Cross told reporters on Monday.
Kenya has experienced a wave of gunfire and explosive attacks in recent months. The US, UK, France, Australia, and Canada have all recently upgraded their terror threat warnings for the country, while US Marines are now stationed on the roof of the US Embassy in Nairobi. The Kenyan Interior Ministry also confirmed the attack took place, while Kenya's National Disaster Operations Center added that military surveillance planes were launched shortly afterwards.
Lamu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the country's oldest continually inhabited town. The region saw a spate of kidnappings of foreign tourists in 2011 that Kenya said was part of its motivation for attacking Somalia. Since those attacks and subsequent terror warnings tourism has dropped off sharply around Lamu. Following the Westgate Mall massacre, a wave of gunfire and explosive attacks has continued in the east African nation. The US, UK, France, Australia, and Canada have all recently upgraded their terror threat warnings for the country, while US Marines are now stationed on the roof of the US Embassy in the capital, Nairobi.
Al-Shabab has vowed to carry out terror attacks to avenge the Kenyan military presence in Somali which started in October 2011. At least 67 people were killed in September when four al-Shabab gunmen attacked an upscale mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Nearby Lamu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the country's oldest continually inhabited town and a historic Arab trading port. The region saw a spate of kidnappings of foreign tourists in 2011 that Kenya said was part of its motivation for attacking Somalia. Since those attacks and subsequent terror warnings tourism has dropped off sharply around Lamu.
However, there were no immediate reports of foreign visitors being hurt in Sunday's attack, as Mpeketoni is not a major holiday destination.
Additional reporting by agenciesAdditional reporting by agencies