Gunmen open fire in Kenyan coastal town, set fire to hotels

 

Attackers thought to be members of the Al Shabaab terrorist group shot and hacked people to death Sunday evening in the Kenyan coastal town of Mpeketoni.

 

The group of attackers entered the town center and began killing people before moving into a residential area where they moved door-to-door.

The Kenya Red Cross put the death toll from the incidents at 48.

The Kenyan National Disaster Operation Centre said the gunmen set fire to two hotels used as boarding houses. They also torched vehicles, houses and shops. Video from the scene showed bullet-pocked walls and burned-out vehicles.

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The Disaster Operation Centre blamed the attacks on the Al Shabaab terrorist group.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed in two explosions Friday in central Nairobi.

As many as 76 people were wounded in the blasts at the Gikomba market and on a public minibus, the disaster agency said. Ambulances evacuated 43 injured males and 33 injured females, the Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre said.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the explosions, which were caused by grenades, according to Nairobi Police Commandant Benson Kibuye.

There were no claims of responsibility for the attack.

The Kenyan military crossed into Somalia in 2011 to battle the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, which it blamed for kidnapping tourists in the coastal region. In retaliation, the terrorist group has launched a spate of attacks, including targeting bustling bus stations with grenades.

Last year, militants stormed the Westgate Mall in Nairobi and held shoppers under siege for days. At least 67 people were killed.