<

US Officials Warn of Possible Terrorist Attacks in Malaysia, Kenya

Thursday, May 15, 2003
(10:46 UTC)
VOA News

U.S. officials are warning of possible terrorist attacks against Americans in Southeast Asia and East Africa, days after deadly terror bombings in Saudi Arabia killed 34 people, including seven Americans.

In separate statements issued Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said terrorist organizations linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network may strike in Malaysia and Kenya.

Officials warned a Southeast Asian terror group called Jemaah Islamiyah may be plotting an attack in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Sabah. They also cited the threat of terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles to target aircraft in Kenya and other East African countries, noting that seaports also may be at risk.

Kenya's internal security minister, Chris Murangaru, said Wednesday a key al-Qaida member is in the country plotting an attack. He said the suspect, indentified as Fazuk Abdulla Mohammed, was involved in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi that killed 224 people, and in last November's attack on an Israeli-operated hotel near the coastal city of Mombasa that killed 16 people.

Meanwhile, the United States has sent a team of investigators to help probe Monday's bombings in Riyadh, which Saudi officials say are linked to al-Qaida. The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Robert Jordan, says Saudi officials failed to fulfill Washington's request for more security around Western housing compounds before the bombings.
(Source: VOANews.com)
2003 © Voice of America.

Dan