Kenya IDs Suspects in Israeli Attacks

AP ^ | 3-3-3 | ANDREW ENGLAND

[Indy Pendance]

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Police in Mombasa have identified eight suspects they believe were involved in the Nov. 28 terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in Kenya, a senior police official said Monday.

Some of the eight are Kenyans, but others are foreigners, said Joseph Narangwi, the senior Criminal Investigation Department officer in Coast Province.

Police have questioned more than a dozen people in the attacks, which killed 11 Kenyans and three Israeli tourists, but there have been no arrests.

The Kenyans and Israelis died when a vehicle packed with explosives crashed into the Paradise Hotel, 12 miles north of Mombasa. It is not known how many people were in the vehicle.

Minutes before the bombing, unidentified assailants fired two missiles at an Arkia Airlines Boeing 757, narrowly missing the charter aircraft as it took off from Mombasa airport with Israeli tourists returning to Tel Aviv.

Police are also holding three members of a family whom they believe have been in contact with the suspects,

Police have been questioning Mohammed Kubwa, his sister, Swalah Mohammed Kubwa, and his father, Kubwa Mohammed, for "several days" because they believe the three were in telephone contact with the suspects immediately before and after the attacks on the hotel and airliner.

"We highly suspect that they are associated with these people who organized that attack," Narangwi said.

He said police had been monitoring phone calls made by the family members who come from Siyu, a town on Pate Island, 19 miles northeast of Lamu, an ancient trading town on the Indian Ocean coast.

Mohammed Kubwa is a town councilman from Siyu, his sister is a trainee teacher in the port city of Mombasa, and the father, Kubwa Mohammed, operates a small boat in Pate, Narangwi said.

The November attacks were first claimed by the previously unknown Army of Palestine, but al-Qaida later claimed responsibility.

Israeli officials have said they suspect al-Ittihad al-Islami, a Somali-based group with links to al-Qaida, but Kenyan authorities say there is no evidence to prove that.

[Coop]

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[Steve0113]

Kenya is turning out to be a real help in the war on terror, unlike certain "allies" of ours.

[Cicero]

Kenya is majority Christian, with a substantial Muslim minority. They understand the dangers to themselves if terrorism gets loose, since all over Africa Muslims have gone on periodic killing sprees against Christians, and occasionally genocide. But this investigation seems to be proceeding painfully slowly.

[DeuceTraveler]

Kenyans are wonderfully laid back people for the most part. If it wasn't for such blatant corruption in their government or their being surrounded by countries like Somalia, they would be a good zone of African stability. Unfortunately most of their population lives in shanty towns.