Three people have been confirmed dead while several other were injured following a twin bomb blast that rocked Mombasa, Kenya on Sunday.

The first blast happened in the city center at a busy bus station in Mwembe Tayari. Reportedly, an individual on a motorbike tossed a grenade into a crowded minibus, causing an explosion that killed three persons and injured over 20 others.

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The second blast occurred near a hotel on a beach resort in the Niyali area, Kenyan authorities said.

Police said an unattended bag was brought to a hotel but was immediately abandoned at the hotel gate after a search showed that the bag contained explosive device. The device went off.

Both blasts occurred within minutes of one another, but police officials confirmed that there were no casualties from the second explosion. Authorities believed a third bombing was planned at a nearby cinema complex but did not materialize.

Kenya has been the target of similar violence in the past, with an attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi resulting in 67 deaths last year. Last March, an attack was carried out on a church in Mombasa that left six people dead.

The gun and grenade attacks in Mombasa and Nairobi have been attributed by the Kenyan government to a Somali terrorist group called Shabaab. Officials believe Shabaab has direct links to to Al-Qaeda.

Although no one has yet claimed responsibility for the dual blasts on Sunday, officials have stated that they bear the hallmarks of attacks by Islamic militants.

In recent months, authorities have accused Islamists of radicalizing local youth - leading to rising tension in Kenya's major cities. In an attempt to halt terrorist activities in Kenya, authorities have arrested over 2,000 people believed to have ties to terrorist sects.

TagsKenya Bombing, Mombasa Bombing