KENYA: Israeli and US experts combed the charred ruins of the Paradise Hotel and the port city of Mombasa yesterday as the hunt began for the terrorists behind Thursday's tourist attacks.
Israeli airforce planes landed in Mombasa bringing doctors, psychologists and soldiers, who helped evacuate Israeli wounded. The aircraft left with several hundred frightened tourists, who were escorted by armed Israeli troops, and the bodies of the three Israelis killed.
A three-man suicide bombing team devastated the hotel overlooking the Indian Ocean on Thursday. Yesterday, rescue workers pulled another body from the smouldering wreckage, bringing the death toll so far to 15.
Meanwhile Kenyan police rounded up 12 foreigners for questioning, including six Pakistanis, four Somalis, an American woman and her partner, who has a Spanish passport but lives in the US.
The said they were looking for others of "Arab appearance". However the evidence against the detainees is unclear.
The owner of Le Soleil, the beach club where the couple had been staying, described them as a blonde woman and a "Italian or Spanish" man. He said they were reported to police only because they checked out two hours after the suicide attack. "They had American passports and they said they were from Florida," said Mr Ben Wafula.
A police spokesman admitted that the Pakistanis and Somalis detainees were originally arrested for entering Kenyan illegally, and only later came under suspicion for the terrorist attacks.
Police have also recovered the licence plate of the Pajero used in the suicide bombing and established its registered owner, a Kenyan company.
Even though a previously unheard of Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the finger of suspicion is still being pointed towards Osama bin Laden.
Analysts said the synchronised raids were a hallmark of al-Qaeda operations and speculated that as its first direct attacks on Israelis, they were intended to rally Muslim support Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon vowed that "Our long arm will catch the attackers and those who dispatch them," echoing a pledge made after Palestinian gunmen killed 11 Israelis at the 1972 Olympics.
Then the Israeli secret service embarked on a campaign of covert assassination against suspected terrorists. This time, however, it may be more difficult.
Meanwhile in the US, government officials warned of the danger that a shoulder-held missile such as the one used in the failed Mombasa attack could down a US commercial jet.
"We are engaged in responding to this issue and we have been since earlier this year," said Mr Robert Johnson, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.