Nairobi, Kenya - A second grenade attack killed one person and injured scores of people in Nairobi hours after a Russian-made grenade blast wounded 13 people at an entertainment hot spot in the early hours of Monday. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said although no arrests had been made, the Police were following crucial leads after discovering the grenade was imported. Witnesses at Mwaura’s bar in downtown Nairobi, said an unidentified man knocked at the door and hurled the grenade at the bar before fleeing. Scores of people were injured. Police denied reports of fatalities at the first blast. The second incident occurred at a busy bus stop, under the cover of darkness when another unidentified man in a speeding car hurled a device suspected to be hand grenade at scores of people waiting to board public transport vehicles at the bus stop. One body covered in a black sheet, lay at the scene. The injured were transported on police cars to the Kenyatta National Hospital, about 4 km from the scene.

“Our investigators have been able to identify the explosive as an F1 type grenade which is Russian made,” Iteere, who formerly commanded the para-military wing of the Police, said.

The series of grenade attacks, coming in the wake of an ongoing military offensive against the Al Shabaab militia in Somalia, have heightened fears the group may be carrying on with its threat to
create chaos at the heart of Nairobi.

“This is a sad moment for this nation,” Deputy Police Spokesman Charles Owino told Citizen TV after the second blast.

Earlier, Nairobi Provincial Administrators warned the public against crowding at certain places, thought most vulnerable to attacks by terrorist elements.

“We will provide security everywhere. We are fighting a situation that must be fought. We will not allow anybody to test the faith of thenation,” Owino said.

At least 18 people were injured during the late evening attack in downtown Nairobi.

The Al Shabaab, the common enemy of the Kenyan and Somali security forces, has vowed to create havoc in Nairobi unless Kenyan troops pull out of Somalia.

Security officials called on Kenyans to avoid panic and vowed to continue with the military offensive in Southern and Central Somalia.

Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said the Al Shabaab were likely to be after 'soft targets' like aid agency workers, civilians congregating at bars or tourists.

“We are aware they will look for soft targets. We cannot give public information about the measures we have taken. Every Kenyan must take necessary responsibility to give information in cases where they see suspicious people,” Saitoti said.

Police in Nairobi have been blamed for shoddy investigations regarding grenade attacks in Nairobi, which have all been blamed on the Al Shabaab.

Saitoti said the military offensive was not just a reaction to the kidnapping of foreign aid workers, but to a more profound threat to national security, including the kidnapping of two army officers.

Pana 25/10/2011