Tanzanian authorities have arrested six people, including four from Saudi Arabia, in connection with an attack that killed two people and injured 30 others during a mass at a church, officials say. Jakaya Kikwete, the Tanzanian president, called Sunday’s blast, which happened in the northern town of Arusha, an “act of terrorism”. “This is an act of terrorism perpetrated by a cruel person or group who are enemies of the country,” Kikwete said in a statement on Monday. The attack on the church is one of the first such incidents to hit Tanzania. Officials gave no indication as to who might have carried out the attack, but tensions have been high between Tanzania’s Christian and Muslim communities in recent months.
First ever mass: The newly built church, in the Olasti district on the outskirts of Arusha, was celebrating its first ever mass when the blast occurred. People were squeezed into the church building as well as sitting on benches outside. Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, the Vatican’s ambassador to Tanzania, was attending mass at the church but was not harmed, officials said. Kikwete, who said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the reports of the explosion, called on people to remain calm while police investigated the attacks. “We are ready to deal with all criminals including terrorists and their agents who are based in the country or externally,” he said.
