More interfaith outreach.

Nairobi (AFP) — Attackers shot dead four worshippers on Sunday when they burst into a church service near the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, spraying the congregation with bullets, police said.

The attack, which also left about 17 people wounded, came amid heightened warnings of a threat of Islamist violence in Kenya and despite boosted security in major cities including Mombasa.

“They were shot by gunmen who shot indiscriminately at worshippers and then fled,” said local police chief Robert Mureithi, from the Likoni district just south of Mombasa.

Two people were killed instantly, while two more later died of their injuries, the Red Cross said, adding that 17 people had been taken to hospital.

Kenya’s National Disaster Operation Centre said there had been “mass casualties” in the attack on an evangelical church.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Kenya has been hit by a series of attacks since sending troops into southern Somalia in October 2011 to battle the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.