Several Killed in Attack on Casino in Kenya

A policeman and 6 gunmen have been killed during a raid by a mob on a casino in the popular tourist resort Malindi on the coast of Kenya. Regional Police Chief Aggrey Adoli claims that the attackers are members of Mombasa Republic Council, a coastal separatist group.

It all kicked off in the early hours of Wednesday morning when 100 gunmen from the MRC raided the casino. There were 4 police officers present at the casino at the time of the raid. This was followed by a shoot-out which took the lives of six of the gunmen and one of the four police officers. Four men were arrested, but the rest managed to escape and are believed to be hiding in forests around Malindi.

To put things into context, the MRC has also been blamed for a series of attacks which occurred only hours before Kenya's general elections just over three weeks ago, during which at least 12 people were killed. The MRC's motivation for its aggressive tactics appears to be its opinion that the coastal region (which is home to a range of high-end tourist resorts) is not part of Kenya. Tourists have now been warned to take caution as another deadly attack is feared from the MRC as Kenya is awaiting a ruling by the Supreme Court with regards to a legal challenge of the polls on March 4th. The court will have until 30th March to make a decision on whether the polls were valid or whether new polls should take place. Until further notice, it might be wise for eager casino players to stay away from local resorts.