Arusha Church Explosion Kills 1, Over 30 Injured

{{One person died and over 30 others seriously injured in an explosion at a church on Sunday in Arusha Tanzania.}}

The Arusha regional Police commander Liberatus Sabas said one suspect had been apprehended in connection with the explosion but the cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

The Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said on his Twitter account that he was “greatly shocked” by the explosion.

For now, we do not know if it’s a bomb, “said Arusha official Magesa Mulongo .” This is a sad day. Our security forces are mobilized and the guilty will be arrested and brought to justice, “he added.

Tensions have increased in recent months between the Christian and Muslim communities in Tanzania.

“Religious fundamentalism is a reality, but the government does nothing,” lamented a local MP, Godbless Lema, who described the perpetrators of the explosion as ‘criminals.’

The explosion occurred just outside a Catholic church in Arusha, a city frequented by tourists visiting the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro National Park, located in the region. The first Mass had been celebrated in this church recently built.

{Agencies}