Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Police Continue Investigation of Mombasa Hotel Bombing
Aired November 30, 2002 - 18:01 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators are checking out leads in the bombing of a hotel in Kenya on Thursday. Sixteen people including three attackers were killed when a car packed with explosives blew up the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa.
Our Catherine Bond is in Kenya to talk about the new leads in the case. Catherine, what's the latest?
CATHERINE BOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some Kenyan investigators believe that the bomb was made of ordinary household gas canisters, used commonly here for cooking, packed with explosives, put in the car and detonated by the three young men who drove the car through the barrier behind me and down in front of the hotel before it exploded. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, we are getting these reports that Australia had given the U.S. information about a possible attack in Kenyan prior to the bombing but that that information was not considered credible and, thus, no action taken by the U.S.
What is Kenya's reaction to all of that?
BOND: I think Kenyans feel that they could have had more information given to them on time in -- given what's happened. But, of course, the U.S. says it was non-specific information.
Actually Australia says it was quite specific. It says it was information that Western targets could be the targets of terrorist attacks and Western interests could be the targets of terrorist attacks in Kenya particularly around Mombasa. And it had advised its nationals on November the 7th and again on November the 12th not to travel to Mombasa in particular -- to defer any travel to Kenya if they could. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, so much attention has been focused on the three Israelis who died in the attack. But there were 10 Kenyans who died. How are average Kenyans reacting to this attack?
BOND: Well, with surprise. I think in the villages around here they didn't think that anything like that would happen here and also with great sorrow. The Kenyans themselves -- the victims' families have been unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved one from the mortuary for burial for the simple reason that they cannot afford the $80 it costs to take each body out of the mortuary and bring it back to the home for burial. The Kenyan authorities holding a meeting today with members of staff at this hotel who are in dispute with the hotel management over pay -- it seems they hadn't been paid for some time -- and Kenyan government trying to form a committee with them and say, "Well liaise with the authorities and we'll see if we can help you out."
So it is yet rather poignant scenes where you visit families in desperately impoverished villages. These families relied on the income of literally $3 or $4 that traditional dancers were making at this hotel once a week. And that $3 or $4 sustained a family for a week at least in terms of cash income.
So now those families are going to be going even without that. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, that is just shocking -- not being able to retrieve the body just because of $80. That is making the tragedy all the worse for those Kenyan families.
Thanks very much for reporting this evening. Thank you, Catherine.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 30, 2002 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators are checking out leads in the bombing of a hotel in Kenya on Thursday. Sixteen people including three attackers were killed when a car packed with explosives blew up the Paradise Hotel in Mombasa.
Our Catherine Bond is in Kenya to talk about the new leads in the case. Catherine, what's the latest?
CATHERINE BOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some Kenyan investigators believe that the bomb was made of ordinary household gas canisters, used commonly here for cooking, packed with explosives, put in the car and detonated by the three young men who drove the car through the barrier behind me and down in front of the hotel before it exploded. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, we are getting these reports that Australia had given the U.S. information about a possible attack in Kenyan prior to the bombing but that that information was not considered credible and, thus, no action taken by the U.S.
What is Kenya's reaction to all of that?
BOND: I think Kenyans feel that they could have had more information given to them on time in -- given what's happened. But, of course, the U.S. says it was non-specific information.
Actually Australia says it was quite specific. It says it was information that Western targets could be the targets of terrorist attacks and Western interests could be the targets of terrorist attacks in Kenya particularly around Mombasa. And it had advised its nationals on November the 7th and again on November the 12th not to travel to Mombasa in particular -- to defer any travel to Kenya if they could. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, so much attention has been focused on the three Israelis who died in the attack. But there were 10 Kenyans who died. How are average Kenyans reacting to this attack?
BOND: Well, with surprise. I think in the villages around here they didn't think that anything like that would happen here and also with great sorrow. The Kenyans themselves -- the victims' families have been unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved one from the mortuary for burial for the simple reason that they cannot afford the $80 it costs to take each body out of the mortuary and bring it back to the home for burial. The Kenyan authorities holding a meeting today with members of staff at this hotel who are in dispute with the hotel management over pay -- it seems they hadn't been paid for some time -- and Kenyan government trying to form a committee with them and say, "Well liaise with the authorities and we'll see if we can help you out."
So it is yet rather poignant scenes where you visit families in desperately impoverished villages. These families relied on the income of literally $3 or $4 that traditional dancers were making at this hotel once a week. And that $3 or $4 sustained a family for a week at least in terms of cash income.
So now those families are going to be going even without that. Anderson?
COOPER: Catherine, that is just shocking -- not being able to retrieve the body just because of $80. That is making the tragedy all the worse for those Kenyan families.
Thanks very much for reporting this evening. Thank you, Catherine.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
