Kenya: Grenade attack on church kills one, injures at least 16

GlobalPost

A grenade attack on Sunday targeting a church in Nairobi, Kenya, left one person dead and 16 others injured.

The attacker fled after throwing the grenade into God's House of Miracles International Church in Nairobi's Ngara area, according to CNN. The church's pastor was among those injured.

"I can confirm that one person is believed to be dead," Kenya police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told Reuters.

Church pianist Steven Mulinge was among those wounded and remembered seeing a man walking through the church entrance and throwing what looked like a stone at the altar, reported the Associated Press. He said about 50 people were attending service during the attack.

"I heard a blast and then around me everyone was covered in blood," Mulinge said. "Later I found myself lying down with a deep cut on my hip."

"Chairs are thrown about and there is blood on the floor," said Daniel Mutinda, a Kenya Red Cross official at the church, according to The Guardian.

Some church members suspected the attack was related to an unresolved land dispute, reported the AP.

According to CNN, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Previous attacks have been blamed on the Somali-based al-Shabaab, a group that has formally merged with al Qaeda this year, but police said it was too early to tell who was responsible for the church attack, reported The Guardian.

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