1 dead, 15 hurt in second Kenyan grenade attack

A victim of the attack

1 dead, 15 hurt in second Kenyan grenade attack

At least one person was reported dead and 15 wounded on Monday when someone hurled a grenade at a Nairobi bus stop during rush hour, the second such incident in the Kenyan capital in less than a day.

"The blast occurred shortly after 8:00pm (local time) as many commuters were heading home", a police officer on the scene said.

"When the area cleared we moved closer and we saw some people lying down writhing in pain while two appeared unconscious”, said Justus Mwanzia, who runs a small stall nearby.

The blast was not far from the Mwauras bar, a busy pub where an earlier grenade attack occurred, wounding 14.

Possible al Qaeda link

Police said al Qaeda-linked al Shabab rebels could be behind the violence, acting in retaliation after Kenya sent troops into Somalia to hunt al Shabab rebels it blames for attacks on its territory.

"We are dealing with a dangerous group, you know al Shabab have their sympathizers here, and maybe they are the people we are dealing with”, national police chief Mathew Iteere said, referring to the bar attack.

"The person who lobbed that grenade into the pub was not seen by anybody ... we are following crucial leads but have not made any arrest so far", he added.

Warning

On Saturday the US embassy in Nairobi warned of an "imminent threat" of attacks possibly targeting foreigners, one week after Kenyan forces crossed into Somalia.

The embassy cited: "credible information of an imminent threat of terrorist attacks directed at prominent Kenyan facilities and areas where foreigners are known to congregate, such as malls and night clubs."

Newscore/Shakira/Ekata