At least 1 dead, 15 hurt in grenade attacks in Kenya

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The Red Cross says there were 2 separate grenade attacks in the region


• 2 of those injured are in critical condition, a Kenyan intelligence official says


• The blast was in the coastal city of Mombasa, 300 miles southeast of Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- A pair of grenade attacks rocked southeastern Kenyan Saturday night, killing one person and injuring at least 15 others, according to the Red Cross and a Kenyan intelligence official.

Two of 15 people hurt were in critical condition at a local hospital, said the official, who asked not to be named.

The Kenya Red Cross, on its official Twitter feed, similarly reported a single fatality as well as 16 injured as a result of a grenade attack in the coastal town of Mtwapa, which is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of the city of Mombasa.

Another person was injured in a different, "twin grenade attack" at Tononoka Stadium in Mombasa itself, according to the Red Cross.

Both attacks occurred around 7:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) in the communities along the Arabian Sea, about 480 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, the intelligence official said.

It was not immediately clear if anyone had claimed responsibility.

The East African nation has been on edge since it sent its troops into Somalia to pursue Al-Shabaab militants after the abductions of tourists and aid workers in Kenya. It blames the abductions on Al-Shabaab, which has denied involvement.

Al-Shabaab, which the United States considers a terror group, has threatened to attack Kenya if it does not withdraw its forces from Somalia.

In January, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement that "we believe that terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks" in Kenya.

U.S. Embassy officials in Kenya issued their own terror alerts last October and November, saying they had credible information of an imminent terror attack.

Source & Image : CNN World