48 football fans watching World Cup slaughtered by jihadists in Kenya resort

Two dozen militants from al-Qaeda linked terror group al-Shabaab stormed into the town and targeted two hotels, a bank and police station in a two-hour gun and grenade attack

Attacked: Charred vehicles sit outside a police station in Mpeketoni

Somalian jihadists massacred at least 48 people yesterday in a Kenyan coastal resort including football fans watching the World Cup.

Two dozen militants from al-Qaeda linked terror group al-Shabaab stormed into the town and targeted two hotels as well as a bank and police station in a two-hour gun and grenade attack.

Dozens more were left wounded as the gunmen took over vehicles to drive through the coastal town of Mpeketoni, about 30 miles southwest of tourist centre Lamu, police said today.

The assault, as fans watched Switzerland take on Ecuador yesterday afternoon, was the latest in a string of gun and bomb which have hurt Kenya’s vital tourist business.

The UK government, as well as the United States and other Western nations, have upgraded their terror threat warnings in the past few weeks.

Aftermath: Residents peer into a building bombed by unidentified gunmen

In the capital Nairobi, the US Marines are stationed in sandbag bunkers on the roof of the American embassy.

The death toll from the attack is the highest since 67 people were killed in an attack in September on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall, also claimed by al-Shabaab, which wants to force Kenya to withdraw troops from Somalia.

Lamu County police commander Leonard Omollo said after the attack: "More bodies have been recovered and right now we are talking about 48 dead persons.

“All the dead are men. There are no women or children, and this fairly complicates matters.”

Tragedy: Fans were watching Switzerland take on Ecuador in Brazil

Since the Westgate attack Al Shabaab promised to strike again.

The Kenya Red Cross said some of the casualties had been evacuated to a hospital in Lamu.

A number of police officers and civilian workers were killed in the latest outrage, as locals fled into nearby forests.

But bodies were left strewn in the road and 10 burnt-out vehicles were also seen in the area and a Kenyan bank branch was gutted.

At least 30 attackers used two vehicles in the raid.