Editing 2002 Mombasa attacks

{{short description|Terrorist attacks in Kenya}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox terrorist attack
| title            = 2002 Mombasa attacks
| partof           = [[terrorism in Kenya]]
| image            = Arkia B753 4X-BAW.jpg
| image_size       = 
| caption          = <small>This [[Arkia]] [[Boeing 757|Boeing 757-300]] was fired at by surface to air missiles as part of the 2002 Mombasa attacks. It is pictured here 3 years later at [[Munich Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20021128-1|title=ASN Aircraft incident Boeing 757-3E7 4X-BAW Mombasa-Moi International Airport|access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref></small>
| map              = <div style="width:250px; float:none; clear:none;"><div style="position: relative; padding: 0px; width:250px">[[File:Kenya location map.svg|250px]]
<br /><div style="position:absolute; top:91.4%; left:66.7%; height:0; width:0;"><div style="position:relative;z-index:100;left:-4px;top:-4px;width:8px;height:8px;line-height:0px;">[[File:Red pog.svg|7px]]</div><div style="font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; z-index:90; position: relative; top: -1.5em; width: 6em; left: 0.5em; text-align: left;"><span style="padding: 1px;">The attack site</span></div></div></div></div><br><small>Location of Mombasa in Kenya</small>
| location         = Mombasa, Kenya
| coordinates      = {{Coord|-4.05|39.666|type:event|display=inline,title}}
| target           = Israeli hotel and plane
| date             = {{start date and age|2002|11|28|df=yes}}
| time             = 
| timezone         = 
| type             = [[Car bombing]], [[suicide attack]], attempted [[List of airliner shootdown incidents|shootdown]]
| fatalities       = 13 victims (3 Israelis, 10 Kenyans) and 3 suicide bombers<ref name="wsws.org">[http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/dec2002/keny-d05.shtml Unanswered questions regarding Kenya terror attacks]. World Socialist Web Site. 5 December 2002.</ref>
| injuries         = 80
| perps            = [[al-Qaeda]]
| weapons          = Surface-to-air missile
}}
{{Campaignbox al-Qaeda attacks}}
[[File:Kenya in africa.png|thumb|Location of Kenya (green) on the African continent (light grey)]]
The '''2002 Mombasa attacks''' were two coordinated [[Terrorism|terrorist]] attacks on 28 November 2002 in [[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]], against an [[Israel|Israeli]]-owned hotel and a plane belonging to [[Arkia]] Airlines. An all-terrain vehicle crashed through a barrier outside the '''Paradise Hotel''' and blew up, killing 13 and injuring 80. At the same time, attackers fired two [[surface-to-air missile]]s at an Israeli charter plane.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{Cite web |date=2002-11-29 |title=Israel evacuates tourists from Kenya |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2525931.stm |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> The Paradise Hotel was the only Israeli-owned hotel in the Mombasa area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-12-05 |title=Kenyan hotel staff unpaid |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2545711.stm |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> 

The attacks were believed to be orchestrated by [[al-Qaeda]] operatives in [[Somalia]] in an attempt to disrupt the Israeli tourist industry on the [[Africa]]n continent. Much speculation has occurred as to who the perpetrators are, but no complete list of suspects has been defined. The attack was the second al-Qaeda terrorist operation in Kenya, following the [[1998 United States embassy bombings|bombing of the U.S. embassy]] in [[Nairobi]] in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/12/02/kenya.probe/|title= Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Kenya attacks - Dec. 3, 2002|website=CNN|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref> 

Following the attack, the [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] and other nations condemned the bombing.

== Attacks ==

=== Hotel bombing ===
Three men approached the gate of the Paradise Hotel in a [[Mitsubishi Pajero]] and were questioned by security guards. One of the men exited the car and detonated his [[explosive vest]]. The other two men rammed through the barrier, crashing into the front entrance of the hotel and set off a [[Car bomb|bomb in the vehicle]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/dn2/-Terrorists-hit-Paradise-Hotel-after-elaborate-planning/957860-2067670-u34buhz/index.html|title=2002: Terrorists hit Paradise Hotel after elaborate planning|website=Daily Nation|language=en|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref> The blast occurred on the eve of [[Hanukkah]], just after 60 Israeli visitors had checked into the hotel for a holiday stay. The explosion killed 13 people, including ten Kenyans and three Israelis, and injured 80. Nine of the victims were dancers who had been employed to welcome hotel guests. In an overnight rescue mission, four [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] operated by the [[Israeli Air Force]] were sent to Mombasa to evacuate the dead and injured.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/>

=== Aircraft attack ===
[[File:SA-7.jpg|thumb|Two ''Strela 2'' missiles were fired during take-off, but missed the plane.]]
Almost simultaneous to the attack on the hotel, two [[shoulder-fired missile|shoulder-launched]] [[Strela 2]] (SA-7) [[surface-to-air missiles]] were fired at a chartered [[Boeing 757]] owned by Israel-based [[Arkia Airlines]] as it took off from [[Moi International Airport]]. The Arkia charter company had a regular weekly service flying tourists between [[Tel Aviv]] and Mombasa. Kenyan police discovered a missile launcher and two missile casings in the Changamwe area of Mombasa about {{convert|2|km}} from the airport. The pilots planned on an emergency landing in [[Nairobi]] after seeing the two missiles streak past them, but decided to continue to Israel. The airliner landed at [[Ben Gurion Airport]] in [[Tel Aviv]] about five hours later, escorted by Israeli [[F-15]] fighter jets.<ref name="UK condemns Kenya bomb attack">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2523065.stm UK condemns Kenya bomb attack]. BBC News. 28 November 2002.</ref> Following the attack, all flights from Israel to Kenya were cancelled indefinitely.

==Perpetrators==
Sheikh [[Omar Bakri Mohammed]], leader of the London-based Islamic organisation [[Al Muhajiroun]], said that warnings had appeared on the Internet. "Militant groups who sympathise with Al-Qaeda warned one week ago that there would be an attack on Kenya and they mentioned Israelis," he said.<ref>{{cite news|title=Warnings were on Internet chat rooms, says cleric|url=http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=14370|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304131024/https://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=14370|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2023|date=28 November 2002|agency=[[Kenya Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=29 July 2010 }}</ref> Initially, Israeli government spokesmen denied that such a warning had been received. But four days after the blast, Brigadier-General [[Yossi Kuperwasser]] admitted that Israeli military intelligence were aware of a threat in Kenya, but that it was not specific enough. Former [[Mossad]] head [[Danny Yatom]] took a similar line, saying that Israel got so many terror warnings they were not taken seriously.<ref name="UK condemns Kenya bomb attack"/>

In [[Lebanon]], a previously unknown group called the Army of Palestine has said it carried out the attacks and said it wanted the world to hear the "voice of the refugees" on the 55th anniversary of the partition of Palestine.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2523737.stm Al-Qaeda suspected in Kenya attacks]. [[BBC News]]. 28 November 2002.</ref>

On 20 December 2006, [[Salad Ali Jelle]], Defence Minister of [[Somalia]]'s [[Transitional Federal Government]], said that one of the suspects, [[Abu Taha al-Sudan|Abu Talha al-Sudani]], was an Islamic Courts Union leader fighting against the Transitional Federal Government in the 2006 [[Battle of Baidoa]].<ref name=CLASHES-BROADEN-BETWEEN-SOMALI-ISLAMIST-AND-GOVERNMENT-TROOPS>{{cite news|url=http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=iol1166611493261C422|title=Clashes broaden between Somali Islamist and government troops|date=20 December 2006|publisher=[[Independent Online (South Africa)]]| access-date= 2 November 2007 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> On 14 September 2009, American troops killed Kenya-born Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan after a missile struck his car in the Barawe District, 250 kilometers south of Somalia's capital Mogadishu. Nabhan is believed to have bought the truck used in the 2002 bombing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5472307|title=Commandos Kill Suspect in 2002 Mombasa Hotel Blast|date=15 September 2009|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]| access-date= 2 March 2018}}</ref>

[[Fazul Abdullah Mohammed]] was a foreign leader of the jihadist fundamentalist group, [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]], which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. Mohammed was appointed leader of al-Qaeda operations in [[East Africa]]. He was a participating member of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi and was one of the masterminds behind the coordination of the attack in Mombasa. He saw the attack as a failure because of the Strela 2 missiles missing the plane during takeoff.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.umes.edu/cms300uploadedFiles/AJCJS/Volume_7_Issue_1_and_2/VOL7.1%20ARONSON%20FINAL.pdf|access-date=2021-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212625/http://www.umes.edu/cms300uploadedFiles/AJCJS/Volume_7_Issue_1_and_2/VOL7.1%20ARONSON%20FINAL.pdf|archive-date=4 January 2014|title=Kenya and the Global War on Terror:Neglecting History and Geopolitics in Approaches to Counterterrorism | journal=African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies | volume=7 | issue=1&2 | first=Samuel L. | last=Aronson | date=November 2013}}</ref>

[[Abdulmalik Mohammed|Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu]] confessed in 2007 to assisting in the car bombings that took place at The Paradise Hotel. He was arrested by Kenyan authorities and was imprisoned by the U.S. in [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]] without any formal charges against him. There have been four other suspected attackers affiliated with the al-Qaeda cell in Kenya, but the Kenyan prosecutors have had trouble establishing guilt with certainty. The four Kenyan nationals have been acquitted for lack of evidence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-wants-israel-to-try-gitmo-prisoner-for-2002-kenya-bombing-report/|title=US wants Israel to try Gitmo prisoner for 2002 Kenya bombing — report|last=staff|first=T. O. I.|website=timesofisrael.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref>

There also has been speculation of involvement by Somali terrorist organization known as, [[Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya|Al Ittihad al Islamiya]] (AIAI). AIAI has supposed ties with al-Qaeda. They had hoped that by sending a message to the Israelis through this attack, they would grow closer to achieving their goal of establishing a Somali Islamic state.<ref>"The North and East African Clusters." ''Beyond Al-Qaeda: Part 1, The Global Jihadist Movement'', by Angel Rabasa et al., RAND Corporation, 2006, pp. 119–134. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/mg429af.17.</ref>

However, a former Israeli Intelligence official accused [[Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah]], known as Abu Mohammed al-Masri, of ordering the Mombasa attacks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/world/middleeast/al-masri-abdullah-qaeda-dead.html|title=Al Qaeda's No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Is Secretly Killed in Iran|first1=Adam|last1=Goldman|first2=Eric|last2=Schmitt|first3=Farnaz|last3=Fassihi|first4=Ronen|last4=Bergman|work=The New York Times |date=14 November 2020|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

=== Motivation ===
It is believed that the terrorist cell al-Qaeda sought out to severely diminish Israeli activities on the African continent. The two simultaneous attacks had a direct impact on the Israeli tourism industry.<ref name=":0">Kuto, Benjamin K.; Groves, James L. (2004). "The Effect of Terrorism: Evaluating Kenya's Tourism Crisis". ''e-Review of Tourism Research''. '''2''': 2–4.</ref> The Paradise Hotel was an Israeli-owned beachfront property that many Israeli vacationers frequented. The Al-Shabaab militant group is concentrated in Somalia, but because of weak border security, its members often enter Kenya. Kenya has a minority [[Muslims|Muslim]] population that has historically been alienated, and with a growing dissent for Western activities regarding Kenyan borders, it has enabled a growing number of [[Jihadism|jihadist]] Muslims into Nairobi. The Muslim community in Kenya had lost political and economic representation leading up to the attacks, which led them to focus their loyalty on Islam and the Middle East, not Kenya. This enabled the jihadist movement to acquire a strong grip within Kenya, as Kenyan nationals assisted in the attacks on the Paradise Hotel and on the Boeing 757.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Africa in world politics: reforming political order|last1=Harbeson|first1=John W|last2=Rothchild|first2=Donald S|date=2009|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=978-0-8133-4364-8|location=Boulder, CO|language=en|oclc=192042020}}</ref>

==International response==
Immediately following the attacks, Israel began evacuating all Israeli citizens within Kenyan borders. A joint operation began between the United States and Israel in determining who the perpetrators were of the attack.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2525931.stm|title=Israel evacuates tourists from Kenya|date=2002-11-29|access-date=2019-12-15|language=en-GB}}</ref> President George W Bush and Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] of the United States,<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Powell Condemns Terror Attacks|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2002/11/sec-021129-usia02.htm|date=29 November 2002|agency=GlobalSecurity.org| access-date= 29 July 2010 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> Israel's Foreign Minister [[Benyamin Netanyahu]],<ref>{{cite news|title=At least eight killed in Mombasa hotel blast in Kenya|date=28 November 2002|agency=[[Xinhua News Agency]]}}</ref> the Kenyan government,<ref>{{cite news|title=This is senseless terrorism, Govt says|url=http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=14373|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304135527/https://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?id=14373|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2023|date=28 November 2002|agency=[[Kenya Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=29 July 2010 }}</ref> and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary [[Jack Straw]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Kenya attacks: TV and radio reports|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2529777.stm|date=29 November 2002|agency=[[BBC News]]| access-date= 29 July 2010 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> all condemned the attack. The [[United Nations Security Council]] adopted [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1450|Resolution 1450]] condemning the attacks, Syria was the only country to not affirm the resolution due to the implied power of directly intervening in the affected country's internal affairs after a terrorist attack. They also found distaste with the repeated mention of Israel in the resolution, which was against their political view concerning the conflict in the [[Middle East]] between [[Israel]] and [[Palestinian territories|Palestine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2002/sc7602.doc.htm|title=COUNCIL VOTES TO CONDEMN TERRORIST ATTACK IN KENYA, AS IT ADOPTS RESOLUTION 1450 (2002) BY VOTE OF 14-1 {{!}} Meetings Coverage and Press Releases|website=un.org|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref>

=== Investigation ===
As a result of the U.S. embassy bombing in 1998 and the attacks in Mombasa, Kenya-U.S. cooperation between authorities has strengthened. It was a joint effort between Kenya, the U.S., and Israel to apprehend the attackers. They were able to determine that al-Qaeda operatives were behind the attacks due to the similarities between the incidents in Nairobi and Mombasa. The attackers had used [[car bomb]]s sourced from local materials. To plan and coordinate the attacks, al-Qaeda operatives rented houses in affluent neighborhoods to meet up with the non-Kenyan suicide bombers.<ref>Carson, Johnnie. "Kenya: The Struggle against Terrorism." ''Battling Terrorism in the Horn of Africa'', edited by Robert I. Rotberg, Brookings Institution Press, 2005, pp. 173–192. ''JSTOR'', www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctt128137.11.</ref>

==== Aftermath ====
In 2003 [[Western world|Western countries]] advised all of their citizens against traveling to Kenya because of the terrorist threat. This negatively impacted Kenya's economy which was based mostly in the tourism industry. Following the advisories and the suspension of [[British Airways]] flights to Nairobi, the [[Economy of Kenya|Kenyan economy]] began losing nearly $130 million per week.<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
* [[1980 Nairobi hotel bombing]] 

== References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/01/international/africa/01KENY.html  After Blast, Kenya Reviews Qaeda's Trail in East Africa], ''The New York Times'', 1 December 2002
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/international/africa/30KENY.html ATTACKS IN MOMBASA: Kenyans Hunting for Clues; Bombing Toll Rises to 13], ''The New York Times'', 30 November 2002
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/international/middleeast/30JERU.html THE GRIEVERS: Israelis Return in Trauma From Supposed Haven], ''The New York Times'', 30 November 2002
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/world/terror-in-africa-investigation-us-suspects-qaeda-link-to-bombing-in-mombasa.html INVESTIGATION: U.S. Suspects Qaeda Link to Bombing in Mombasa], ''The New York Times'', 30 November 2002
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/world/terror-in-africa-source-of-bombs-kenyans-look-north.html  Source of Bombs? Kenyans Look North], ''The New York Times'', 30 November 2002
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/world/terror-in-africa-at-the-site-survivor-saw-bombers-race-to-death.html  AT THE SITE: Survivor Saw Bombers' Race to Death], ''The New York Times'', 30 November 2002

{{Terrorist attacks against Israelis in the 2000s}}
{{Aviation incidents and accidents in 2002}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mombasa Attacks}}
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2002]]
[[Category:Suicide bombings in 2002]]
[[Category:Mombasa]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorism in Kenya]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Kenya in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Car and truck bombings in Kenya]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 2002]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2002]]
[[Category:21st-century mass murder in Kenya]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda attacks|2002 Mombasa attacks]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2002]]
[[Category:November 2002 crimes in Africa]]
[[Category:November 2002 in Africa]]
[[Category:Israel–Kenya relations]]
[[Category:2002 murders in Kenya]]
[[Category:Hotel bombings in Africa]]
[[Category:Suicide car and truck bombings in Africa]]
[[Category:Building bombings in Kenya]]
[[Category:Car and truck bombings in 2002]]
[[Category:Attacks on hotels in Kenya]]
[[Category:2002 building bombings]]
[[Category:21st-century aircraft shootdown incidents]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Kenya]]
[[Category:Terrorist attacks on airports in Africa]]
[[Category:Airliner shootdown incidents]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents against transport in Kenya]]