Gunmen open fire on church in Mombasa, Kenya

MOMBASA, Kenya — Gunmen entered a Sunday morning worship service in Kenya’s coastal Mombasa County on March 23 and sprayed the congregation with bullets, killing at least seven Christians and leaving several others in critical condition.

Two heavily armed men wounded more than a dozen of the 200-member Joy in Jesus Church in the Likoni area of Mombasa, where a mosque said to have ties with the Somali Islamic extremist group Al Shabaab has caused tensions.

Among the dead was assistant pastor Phillip Musasa, sources said.  

“The pastor had a head injury and succumbed to the injury while being rushed to the hospital,” said a pastor who visited victims. “I saw 10 of the survivors in the hospital, and they are in a critical state.”

No one has taken responsibility for the attack, which reportedly involved a third gunman outside the church building shooting at Christians fleeing the attack. Church leaders suspected Islamic extremists had carried it out in reprisal for a raid by armed police on the Masjid Musa Mosque (now Masjid Shuhada, or “Martyrs Mosque”) on Feb. 2, in which more than 100 Muslims were arrested and at least two killed. Most of those detained have been released.

Authorities have arrested scores of people for questioning but not the primary, unidentified suspects. After the shooting, the assailants tried to attack the nearby Redeemed Gospel Church, known as the Jesus Celebration Center, Christian leaders said.

“Fortunately they could not get inside the church because they found armed policemen manning the place,” one pastor said. 

Bishop Wilfred Lai, senior pastor of Redeemed Gospel Church and chairman of the County Church Forum, said area Christians will not be deterred. “We as the body of Christ in the coastal region of Kenya will stand firm in spite of the cruel act of terrorism,” he said.

At about 5 p.m. March 23, government officials convened a meeting of security agents, Christian pastors and Islamic leaders to discuss maintaining peace in the coastal region of Kenya. Mombasa County Gov. Hassan Ali Joho urged religious leaders to preach peaceful co-existence and tolerance.