Four shot dead in Kenya church attack

 

Four people have been killed after gunmen opened fire in a church near the Kenyan city of Mombasa, officials say. 

They say a number of people were injured after at least two gunmen walked into the church in Likoni and started shooting indiscriminately.

The attackers managed to escape on foot before police arrived.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting, but officials have blamed Islamist militants from the al-Shabab group for similar attacks.

"They were ordinary looking guys, one of them tall, dark and wearing a long-sleeved shirt. They walked casually as if all was OK," eyewitness Peter Muasya was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"Then they started shooting at those of us who were standing outside."

Blood-soaked Bibles and overturned chairs lay strewn across the church's floor after the shooting.
Security has been stepped up in the area in recent days following the arrest of two men last week who police said had bombs hidden in their car.

There have been several incidents of violence in Mombasa in recent months, involving the security forces and Islamist extremists.

Mombasa and Kenya's capital Nairobi have suffered a series of attacks since Kenya sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to crush the al-Shabab militants.