Three women have been killed while attempting to carry out a knife and firebomb attack on the main police station in the Kenyan city of Mombasa.
According to Mombasa County police chief, Peterson Maelo, the women entered the city's busiest police station on Sunday morning, saying they wanted to report a stolen phone.
One of the women pulled a knife and another threw a petrol bomb, starting a fire.
Two police officers were rushed to hospital with injuries following the attack.
The attackers, believed to have been wearing explosive belts, were gunned down as police fought back.
"[At] 1030 a.m. three women in Buibui attire went to central police station to report about a stolen phone. While the officers were questioning them about the particulars of place where the phones were stolen, one of them immediately drew a knife whereas the other one threw a petrol bomb to the report office personnel. The station caught fire and police reaction lead to the three being shot. Three officers, I mean two officers, were injured. They are in hospital. One had a broken limb, the other one got injured on his arm," Maelo told reporters.
The police chief also termed the deadly assault "an apparent terror attack," while an unnamed police officer noted that "this is terrorism, they were definitely on a mission."
The fire was put out and the station sealed off by heavily armed police officers.
Kenyan law enforcement agencies have launched a probe into the latest assault.
Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants, based in Somalia, have claimed responsibility for past attacks in Mombasa and other parts of Kenya, saying they were in retaliation for the country sending its troops to Somalia.
On September 21, 2013, militants killed at least 67 people at Westgate Mall in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.
The Takfiri militants also launched several attacks in 2014 that left more than 100 dead in Lamu County region.
Kenya has been regularly targeted by al-Shabab militants, who are fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, protected by 22,000 African Union soldiers, including Kenyan troops.
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