MoD Information

Two held over Kenya terrorist attacks

Fri, November 29, 2002

Source: Ananova

Two people are being questioned after suicide terrorists killed 15 people in an attack on a Kenyan tourist resort hotel.

Two held over Kenya terrorist attacks

A duty officer at police headquarters in Nairobi said the two were detained, but have not yet been formally charged.  The officer said they were detained in Mombasa, but gave no further details. 

Suspected Islamic militants rammed a car packed with explosives into the Mombasa hotel in which at least three Israelis died, including two young brothers, along with nine Kenyans.  A light aircraft swooped over the hotel wreckage and dropped clusters of small bombs, according to witnesses. At about the same time, two surface-to-air missiles were fired at an Israeli passenger jet that had just taken off from Mombasa airport.

The attacks bore all the hallmarks of al-Qaida and Kenya's Ambassador to Israel, John Sawe, blamed Osama bin Laden's terror network but a previously unknown Palestinian group claimed responsibility.

The first of about 150 Israeli troops and army medical personnel have begun arriving in Mombasa to treat the wounded and evacuate the 140 Israeli tourists in the area.  Israel has vowed to track down those behind the attacks. Mossad, its national intelligence agency, has been charged with tracking down the perpetrators, by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.  "Our long arm will get those who carried out the terror attacks. No one will be forgiven," Mr Sharon said.