Twin explosions rock Kenyan city of Mombasa
Source: BBC News
Three people have been killed and several wounded in two explosions in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, police say. In the deadliest attack, a grenade was reportedly thrown in a bus that had just arrived from Nairobi. The other blast happened at a bar near a hotel in the Nyali beach area. There are no reports of casualties there.
Kenya has been hit by a spate of attacks blamed by the government on Somali Islamist militants. The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has carried out several attacks in Kenya since 2011, when Kenya sent troops into Somalia to battle it. No-one has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday's blasts.
Third attack?
The first blast is believed to have occurred after a grenade was thrown in a Nairobi-Mombasa bus that had just arrived in the busy Mwembe Tayari transport terminal, killing three people and wounding at least four others. The second explosion took place at a beach bar near the Nayali Reef Hotel, after a device was left in a plastic bag in the washroom.
It is thought that a third attack was planned for a nearby cinema complex but was unsuccessful. Al-Shabab was accused of carrying out an attack on a church in Mombasa in March that killed six people. Shortly afterwards, a radical Muslim cleric alleged to have acted as a recruiter for al-Shabab was shot dead near Mombasa, prompting riots in the city. Kenya has vowed to halt attacks by militant Islamists and arrested some 2,000 people in the capital last month.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27272072
Terrorism
Turbineguy
(37,320 posts)Mr Issa....
undeterred
(34,658 posts)but the terror incidents of the past year are having a chilling effect on Kenya's tourist trade.
PumpkinAle
(1,210 posts)in Zambia and went to Mombasa regularly - he loved it and the people. They were very kind hearted and generous.
DallasNE
(7,402 posts)But Mombasa was the final destination for our cruise ship. After passing through customs we were bussed straight to the airport for a flight to Nairobi. Apparently the tour company didn't think it had that much to offer otherwise they would have had us stay for a night before continuing on to Nairobi. The thing that stuck out to me was the grinding poverty. The shacks were close together and you could see right through them. It was so depressing I never took a single picture of the place. Nairobi, on the other hand, was a beautiful and bustling city. And the Maasai Mara was unbelievable. Most electrifying was the unexpected sighting of a Cobra along the roadside that reared up before slithering away. (All of the other stuff was expected).
undeterred
(34,658 posts)I will never forget seeing people afflicted with polio begging.