NAIROBI
Kenyan police on Friday confirmed they had killed two people suspected of involvement in last week's attack on a church in the coastal city of Mombasa in which six people were killed.
"I thank the media and the residents who shared information with our officers that led to this," Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa told reporters in Kiswahili, the local language.
He said police had received information from concerned locals about three armed people seen on a motorbike.
Police officers, Marwa added, had acted quickly and soon tracked the suspects down.
"They fired at our officers. Immediately our officers responded by doing their job; two were shot dead but the third suspect managed to escape with bullet wounds," he asserted.
The county commissioner called on all those who possessed illegal arms to surrender their weapons to the authorities.
He also called on those licensed to carry firearms legally to use them wisely.
Mombasa Police Chief Robert KItur, for his part, said a fully loaded pistol had been recovered from the scene.
KItur linked the three suspects to last week's church attack, noting that bullet casings found at the scene matched those recovered from the church attack.
"He's part of the gang that attacked a church last Sunday," he said. "We are still pursuing other members of the gang."
Last Sunday, two gunmen walked into a church at Likoni in Mombasa and opened fire, killing six and wounding several others.
Among those injured in the attack was a one-year-old child, Osinya Santrine, who now has a bullet lodged in his head and is currently awaiting surgery.
According to the authorities, the bullet that killed the child's mother, who had been shielding him, struck the child as well.
The police chief called on local residents to share any information they might have regarding the wounded fugitive's whereabouts.
"One of the suspects was able to escape with serious bullet wounds. I am calling on all residents in the area to share information with the police if they spot anyone fitting that description," KItur said.
He confirmed that nearly 200 people had been arrested in connection with the church attack, including 105 who had already been arraigned.
"The remaining 95 were released because they were innocent," he said.
The police boss stressed that the investigation was still ongoing and that terrorism couldn't be ruled out as a possible motive.
By Magdalene Mukami
englishnews@aa.com.tr
