Kenya, Israel wrangle over bombing evidence

MOMBASA, Kenya -- Kenya will not heed Israeli demands to turn over some evidence in the attacks on an Israeli-owned hotel and an Israeli jetliner, saying Sunday it would conduct the investigation alone. The Israeli defense minister said al-Qaida was the main suspect in the attacks.

The dispute threatened to delay the investigation into the suicide bombing Thursday of an Israeli-owned hotel and the failed downing of an Israeli charter jet moments earlier. American and Israeli leaders both questioned Kenya's ability to conduct a thorough inquiry.

Kenyan police officials said Israeli authorities want to take pieces from a four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Pajero that exploded outside the hotel on Thursday. The blast killed 10 Kenyans, three Israelis and the bombers. Authorities believe there were three bombers.

Israel also wants the launchers and missile casings from shoulder-launched rockets believed used in the failed attempt to shoot down the Israeli charter plane.

"None of this evidence is going back to Israel. This evidence is our responsibility," said Charles Jamu, a Kenyan bomb specialist.

Raanan Gissin, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said from Jerusalem that Kenya had been cooperating "up to now," but that the Kenyans weren't prepared for the investigation.

"They were not geared to this kind of a threat or they don't have the necessary resources or technological capabilities that would enable them to deal with that," Gissin said.

Israel and the United States have pushed for a rigorous investigation in part because they believe it may have been orchestrated by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.

During an Israeli Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said he suspected al-Qaida was responsible for the attack, Gissin said.

"Formally, of course, we don't have the conclusive evidence to prove unequivocally that it is al-Qaida, but the fingerprints clearly indicate that al-Qaida is involved," Gissin said, referring to Mofaz's remarks.

Jamu, the Kenyan bomb specialist, said investigators found parts of two gas welding cylinders which they suspect were fastened to the vehicle's underside to cause a bigger explosion at the Paradise Hotel 12 miles north of Mombasa.

Sen. Bob Graham , D-Fla., the outgoing chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed Israel's concerns about the probe in an interview with Fox News Sunday.

"I imagine that it will be primarily U.S. and Israeli intelligence officers who will be trying to unravel what happened in Kenya last week," he said.

Graham said the attacks had probably been carried out by a Somali-Kenyan group he called Islamyia, in conjunction with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright