Islamist militants ambushed a bus in Kenya on Saturday and sprayed bullets on those who failed to recite Quran verses , killing at least 28 people , authorities said . The bus , which had 60 people aboard , was heading from Mandera , near the Somali border , to the capital of Nairobi . About 20 miles into its dawn journey , militants stopped it at a hilly area and stormed in , local police Cmdr . Noah Mwivanda told the Daily Nation newspaper . Militants demanded those onboard recite Quran verses . As others watched , they opened fire on passengers who failed to do so , he said . Somali-based terror group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement , saying it was retaliation for mosque raids this week . It described those killed as Christians . This is one of the busiest travel seasons in the nation . Throngs make their way to relatives ' homes for the holidays , with buses and other public transportation packed this time of the year . `` Security agencies are in pursuit of the criminal gang , '' the Interior Ministry said in a statement . It later said helicopters and jets have demolished the attackers ' camp and operations were ongoing . In a phone call with CNN on Saturday , Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku declined to comment on the incident . The bodies of the victims were taken to Nairobi , where the Kenya Red Cross will provide assistance to victims ' relatives and survivors of the attack , said the organization 's secretary general , Abbas Gullet . Days before the bus attack , police raided multiple mosques in the port city of Mombasa after they found explosives in one . The searches this week prompted clashes with Muslim youths in the city , Kenya 's second-largest . Al-Shabaab , which has ties to al Qaeda , has launched a series of attacks in Kenya since its forces went into neighboring Somalia in 2011 to battle the extremists . Kenyan soldiers have targeted militants ' hideouts across Somalia , prompting retaliatory attacks from the terror group . Last year , Al-Shabaab raided a Nairobi mall in a brazen attack that killed 68 people and left shoppers under siege for days . In addition to Kenya and Somalia , the terror group has struck Uganda , where it killed more than 70 people gathered to watch a World Cup soccer match in Kampala in 2010 . As the attacks get more daring , the international community has rallied to battle the militants . In September , a U.S. airstrike killed Al-Shabaab 's leader , Ahmed Godane . The terror group later replaced him and vowed to avenge his death .
Gunmen asked passengers to recite Quran verses , official says . Official : Those who could not were sprayed with bullets . This is one of the busiest travel seasons in the country because of the holidays . Comment: