What You Need to Know About the Kenyan College Massacre

Keep reading to learn about the attack and its aftermath.

Mourning a Massacre - Earlier this month, the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabab launched a bloody day of violence and terror at a Kenyan college, massacring scores of students and staff and stunning the international community. Keep reading to learn more about this tragedy and its aftermath. —Patrice Peck with reporting from Associated Press(Photo: Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

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Mourning a Massacre - Earlier this month, the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabab launched a bloody day of violence and terror at a Kenyan college, massacring scores of students and staff and stunning the international community. Keep reading to learn more about this tragedy and its aftermath. —Patrice Peck with reporting from Associated Press(Photo: Ben Curtis/AP Photo)

A Day of Violence and Terror - When four masked al-Shabab gunmen attacked Garissa University College on Thursday, April 2, 148 people were killed. This assault marks the deadliest in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi that left more than 200 people dead, the Associated Press reports. Christians were singled out and killed on the spot, but some Muslims and women were also reportedly among the dead, despite the attackers' vow to spare them. While six policemen and soldiers were killed in the siege, security forces ultimately killed the four attackers and arrested five suspects. A survivor of the killings was also discovered in a wardrobe on campus, two days after the attack. (Photo: AP Photo)

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A Day of Violence and Terror - When four masked al-Shabab gunmen attacked Garissa University College on Thursday, April 2, 148 people were killed. This assault marks the deadliest in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi that left more than 200 people dead, the Associated Press reports. Christians were singled out and killed on the spot, but some Muslims and women were also reportedly among the dead, despite the attackers' vow to spare them. While six policemen and soldiers were killed in the siege, security forces ultimately killed the four attackers and arrested five suspects. A survivor of the killings was also discovered in a wardrobe on campus, two days after the attack. (Photo: AP Photo)

Pope: Kenya School Attack a 'Senseless Brutality' - According to the AP, Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolence regarding the school attack. He condemned al-Shabab's assault as an act of "senseless brutality" and asked those responsible to change their violent ways. The Pope also called on Kenyan authorities to put an end to similar attacks and "hasten the dawn of a new era of brotherhood, justice and peace."(Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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Pope: Kenya School Attack a 'Senseless Brutality' - According to the AP, Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolence regarding the school attack. He condemned al-Shabab's assault as an act of "senseless brutality" and asked those responsible to change their violent ways. The Pope also called on Kenyan authorities to put an end to similar attacks and "hasten the dawn of a new era of brotherhood, justice and peace."(Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Responds to Extremists' Threats - "No amount of precaution or safety measures will be able to guarantee your safety, thwart another attack or prevent another bloodbath," al-Shabab allegedly said two days after the siege, according to the SITE intelligence monitoring group. "Kenyan cities will run red with blood." The group also cited the killing of rebels in Somalia by Kenyan troops as the reason for the college attack. President Uhuru Kenyatta responded to the threats in a nationally televised address. "We will fight terrorism to the end," said Kenyatta, referring to his administration. "I guarantee that my administration shall respond in the fiercest way possible."(Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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President Responds to Extremists' Threats - "No amount of precaution or safety measures will be able to guarantee your safety, thwart another attack or prevent another bloodbath," al-Shabab allegedly said two days after the siege, according to the SITE intelligence monitoring group. "Kenyan cities will run red with blood." The group also cited the killing of rebels in Somalia by Kenyan troops as the reason for the college attack. President Uhuru Kenyatta responded to the threats in a nationally televised address. "We will fight terrorism to the end," said Kenyatta, referring to his administration. "I guarantee that my administration shall respond in the fiercest way possible."(Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Government Official's Son Among Gunmen - One of the gunmen involved in the attack and later killed by security forces was identified as the son of a Kenyan government official, AP reports. Abdirahim Mohammed Abdullahi, a law school graduate from the Somalia-bordering Mandera County, went missing last year. Abdullahi's involvement underscores how terrorist attacks stem not only from Somalia, but within Kenya as well.  (Photo: AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

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Government Official's Son Among Gunmen - One of the gunmen involved in the attack and later killed by security forces was identified as the son of a Kenyan government official, AP reports. Abdirahim Mohammed Abdullahi, a law school graduate from the Somalia-bordering Mandera County, went missing last year. Abdullahi's involvement underscores how terrorist attacks stem not only from Somalia, but within Kenya as well.  (Photo: AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

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Kenyan Officials: Air Strikes Hit Suspected Somalian Militant Camps - On the Sunday and Monday following the tragic college attack, Kenyan officials claimed to have launched air strikes targeting militant camps in the Gedo region of western Somalia. Col. David Obonyo of the Kenyan military told the AP that the camps were destroyed, but said poor visibility prevented officials from determining the number of casualties.  (Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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Kenyan Officials: Air Strikes Hit Suspected Somalian Militant Camps - On the Sunday and Monday following the tragic college attack, Kenyan officials claimed to have launched air strikes targeting militant camps in the Gedo region of western Somalia. Col. David Obonyo of the Kenyan military told the AP that the camps were destroyed, but said poor visibility prevented officials from determining the number of casualties.  (Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Victims' Dreams Unfulfilled - Bryson Mwakuleghwa, a 21-year-old soccer player and keyboardist, Virginia Simiyu, a 24-year-old long distance runner and Romana Chelagat Sambu, a 21-year-old commerce student are just a few of the young victims whose aspirational lives were cut short on April 2. "It was a big blow for the people of Taita-Taveta because we don't have enough people studying in university," Bryson's guardian, Ginton Mwachofi, told the AP. "They can't believe that Bryson is no more."(Ginton Mwachofi, the guardian of Bryson Mwakuleghwa, poses for a photograph outside the Chiromo Funeral Parlour.Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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Victims' Dreams Unfulfilled - Bryson Mwakuleghwa, a 21-year-old soccer player and keyboardist, Virginia Simiyu, a 24-year-old long distance runner and Romana Chelagat Sambu, a 21-year-old commerce student are just a few of the young victims whose aspirational lives were cut short on April 2. "It was a big blow for the people of Taita-Taveta because we don't have enough people studying in university," Bryson's guardian, Ginton Mwachofi, told the AP. "They can't believe that Bryson is no more."(Ginton Mwachofi, the guardian of Bryson Mwakuleghwa, poses for a photograph outside the Chiromo Funeral Parlour.Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Kenyans Protest Delayed Police Response to Deadly Attack - Kenyan police came under fire shortly after the attack, as many citizens have raised questions about authorities response to the Garissa attack. According to Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, police waited seven hours before sending a special tactical unit into the school to fight the attackers. On April 7, protesters marched the streets of the Kenyan capital, chanting "We are not safe!" "The systemic corruption that afflicts all our institutions infects our security services too. This continues to be the dead weight our efforts against terrorism have to carry," Kenyan corruption expert John Githongo, currently a visiting scholar at Stanford, told the AP. (Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

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Kenyans Protest Delayed Police Response to Deadly Attack - Kenyan police came under fire shortly after the attack, as many citizens have raised questions about authorities response to the Garissa attack. According to Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, police waited seven hours before sending a special tactical unit into the school to fight the attackers. On April 7, protesters marched the streets of the Kenyan capital, chanting "We are not safe!" "The systemic corruption that afflicts all our institutions infects our security services too. This continues to be the dead weight our efforts against terrorism have to carry," Kenyan corruption expert John Githongo, currently a visiting scholar at Stanford, told the AP. (Photo: AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Kenyan Cardinal Urges Compassion and Courage - "Take courage and do not give up," Cardinal John Njue told relatives of some of the victims sitting under a tent at Nairobi's Chiromo Funeral Parlour. "These are the challenges that come in our lives. Some of them are most probably too heavy ... heavier than we can be able to bear, humanly speaking. But let us try what we can." He also implored for a "process of compassion" for the attackers, despite their terrible actions. "We pray then for all those who are concerned with this," he said. "We are not dealing with animals, we are dealing with human beings ... If this were to happen to them, I don't think any of them would ever be joyful."(Photo: AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

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Kenyan Cardinal Urges Compassion and Courage - "Take courage and do not give up," Cardinal John Njue told relatives of some of the victims sitting under a tent at Nairobi's Chiromo Funeral Parlour. "These are the challenges that come in our lives. Some of them are most probably too heavy ... heavier than we can be able to bear, humanly speaking. But let us try what we can." He also implored for a "process of compassion" for the attackers, despite their terrible actions. "We pray then for all those who are concerned with this," he said. "We are not dealing with animals, we are dealing with human beings ... If this were to happen to them, I don't think any of them would ever be joyful."(Photo: AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)