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Investigators Argue Over Evidence in Mombasa Hotel Bombing

Aired December 02, 2002 - 07:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The probe of last week's deadly hotel bombing in Mombasa is sparking some heated discussions between Kenyans and Israeli officials. Both sides want control of key evidence that was found in the rubble. Kenyan's president is expected to decide that dispute.
For more on the aftermath of the attack, we're going to bring in our Ben Wedeman, who is standing by live in Mombasa.

Ben -- hello.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Daryn.

Well, it is the Kenyan authorities that have possession of some key pieces of evidence, and the Israelis want to take those back to Israel for analysis. Now, at the moment, it appears that the Kenyan authorities are considering that request by the Israelis.

What the Israelis would like to take back are parts of two gas welding cylinders, which it is believed were packed with about 200 kilograms of explosives.

They also want to take back to Israel the launchers used to fire those missiles at the Israeli passenger jet -- that firing taking place at about the same time as when the bomb went off here at the Paradise hotel.

Finally, the Israelis would like to take back to Israel the charred remains of an AK-47 assault rifle, which was found yesterday in the rubble of the hotel.

Now, meanwhile, my colleague, Catherine Bond, the Nairobi bureau chief, this morning had a discussion herself with a farmer just up the road from here, who may have been the last person to speak with these suicide bombers. He described two men in a chocolate-brown four-wheel drive vehicle. One of them a young man, who appeared to be very nervous; another man, a stouter man, behind the wheel who didn't speak.

Now, the young man apparently spoke some Swahili with a distinctly Arabic accent. And the farmer, in speaking with Catherine, also mentioned that there appeared to be several of what he described as what appeared to look like cell phones on the dashboard. However, no idea of really what those possibly were. But he has apparently shared that information with the investigators -- Daryn. KAGAN: So, Ben, we've talked about the Kenyans, the Israelis. What about feelings toward Americans on the ground there right now?

WEDEMAN: Well, the feeling towards the Americans is a little different. There's a large Muslim community in Mombasa. It's about 80 percent of the population.

And I must say, I spent much of yesterday and the day before speaking with people. And there are many who consider Osama bin Laden to be something of a folk hero. They look around the Muslim world. They say the United States supports unpopular, corrupt, oppressive regimes. And they think -- they look at Osama bin Laden as something of a Robin Hood type figure. And so, there is a lot of resentment against the United States.

One man I spoke with in a mosque yesterday saying that he believed that the United States isn't conducting a war on terrorism. He says, they're conducting a war against Islam.

So, there's some real hard feelings, a lot of anger and resentment against the United States here, and not much credence being given to the American perspective or the American evidence, so to speak, against Osama bin Laden -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ben Wedeman in Mombasa -- Ben, thank you for that live report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.




Bombing>


Aired December 2, 2002 - 07:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The probe of last week's deadly hotel bombing in Mombasa is sparking some heated discussions between Kenyans and Israeli officials. Both sides want control of key evidence that was found in the rubble. Kenyan's president is expected to decide that dispute.
For more on the aftermath of the attack, we're going to bring in our Ben Wedeman, who is standing by live in Mombasa.

Ben -- hello.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Daryn.

Well, it is the Kenyan authorities that have possession of some key pieces of evidence, and the Israelis want to take those back to Israel for analysis. Now, at the moment, it appears that the Kenyan authorities are considering that request by the Israelis.

What the Israelis would like to take back are parts of two gas welding cylinders, which it is believed were packed with about 200 kilograms of explosives.

They also want to take back to Israel the launchers used to fire those missiles at the Israeli passenger jet -- that firing taking place at about the same time as when the bomb went off here at the Paradise hotel.

Finally, the Israelis would like to take back to Israel the charred remains of an AK-47 assault rifle, which was found yesterday in the rubble of the hotel.

Now, meanwhile, my colleague, Catherine Bond, the Nairobi bureau chief, this morning had a discussion herself with a farmer just up the road from here, who may have been the last person to speak with these suicide bombers. He described two men in a chocolate-brown four-wheel drive vehicle. One of them a young man, who appeared to be very nervous; another man, a stouter man, behind the wheel who didn't speak.

Now, the young man apparently spoke some Swahili with a distinctly Arabic accent. And the farmer, in speaking with Catherine, also mentioned that there appeared to be several of what he described as what appeared to look like cell phones on the dashboard. However, no idea of really what those possibly were. But he has apparently shared that information with the investigators -- Daryn. KAGAN: So, Ben, we've talked about the Kenyans, the Israelis. What about feelings toward Americans on the ground there right now?

WEDEMAN: Well, the feeling towards the Americans is a little different. There's a large Muslim community in Mombasa. It's about 80 percent of the population.

And I must say, I spent much of yesterday and the day before speaking with people. And there are many who consider Osama bin Laden to be something of a folk hero. They look around the Muslim world. They say the United States supports unpopular, corrupt, oppressive regimes. And they think -- they look at Osama bin Laden as something of a Robin Hood type figure. And so, there is a lot of resentment against the United States.

One man I spoke with in a mosque yesterday saying that he believed that the United States isn't conducting a war on terrorism. He says, they're conducting a war against Islam.

So, there's some real hard feelings, a lot of anger and resentment against the United States here, and not much credence being given to the American perspective or the American evidence, so to speak, against Osama bin Laden -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ben Wedeman in Mombasa -- Ben, thank you for that live report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.




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