The crowd was evidently dismayed by the fact the attack occurred a few hours after two top Kenyan officials accused the US of lying and sabotaging the Kenyan economy by issuing a terrorist alert on Mombasa.
Adoli declared before journalists that, “we cannot relate this event to the (US) advisory,” then argued that: “This is a local bar and right now we cannot say it is a terrorist attack linked to major groups because Mishomoroni (where the attack took place) has its own homegrown criminal group.”
As the top police officials tried to calm the villagers, an old man identified only as Yusuf declared terrorists live among local people and were being used by the extremist Al Shabaab cell of Somalia to retaliate against Kenya’s military intervention in their country.
“You are fighting Al Shabaab in Somalia where the head is but the tail is here. These people live among us. You will regret,” cautioned the old man.
As detectives from the Anti-Terror Police Unit, General Service Unit and regular forces swung into action with sniffer dogs, the entire Mombasa city was placed under a security cordon as bars, restaurants and streets were cleared of people. Most of the people who kept off businesses feared police operations and possibility of another attack.
The scene of the blast resembled a war zone with broken glass strewn within a 50-metre radius. The attackers targeted those drinking and watching a football match.
