Jason Straziuso, Associated Press
NAIROBI
— Two bombs killed 10 people and wounded 70 others Friday, at a market
in Kenya’s capital, while hundreds of British tourists were evacuated
from the coastal resort of Mombasa after warnings of an impending attack
by Islamic extremists.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, which went off minutes apart in the Gikomba market near downtown Nairobi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, appearing at a previously planned news conference soon after the bombings, offered his condolences.
But he dismissed the tourism warnings from the U.S. and Britain that
led to the evacuations, saying terrorism is a common problem and not
unique to Kenya.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene in the market.
“I heard the first blast, then another one,” said trader Judy Njeri,
who said she had to crawl on hands and knees after the explosions that
wounded some of her colleagues.
“I saw bodies being tossed in the air. The whole place was thrown into darkness and a lot of dust.”
On Thursday and Friday, TUI Travel, which owns the British tourism companies Thomson and First Choice, evacuated customers and cancelled all flights to Mombasa until October. The British government had urged its citizens to leave the town and nearby beach resorts.
The U.S. and Britain were among several nations renewing warnings of possible terrorist attacks.
Security concerns are high in Kenya because of its proximity to Somalia and the Al-Qaeda-linked group, Al-Shabab, that operates there. In September, four Al-Shabab gunmen attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people.
More than 100 people have died in shootings, grenade attacks and bombings in Kenya in the past 18 months, the U.S. embassy said. Recently, Kenyan authorities, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, discovered a huge car bomb.
Al-Qaeda detonated a massive bomb outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1988, killing more than 200 people.
The embassy has beefed up security in recent days.
“We know from experience — whether it’s been in Yemen where embassies
have been attacked or in Benghazi where our consulate and ambassador
were attacked — anything that is a symbol of a foreign country is a
potential target,” said Scott Gration, a former U.S. ambassador here.
As for the evacuations, many travel companies have insurance policies that do not cover tourists in high-risk locations, added Mr. Gration, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who runs a technology and investment consultancy in Nairobi.
Some of the tourists boarding a flight home at Mombasa airport expressed disappointment with the decision to evacuate them, saying they had felt safe
“We believe we’re safe here where we are in Kenya,” said Dave Moor of England. “Everyone has been really friendly, non-threatening. We’ve had no worries at all, you know, and we’re just so upset that you wait all year for your holiday and you’ve got three days and they send you home without any real reason.”
Mr. Gration said Kenya’s coast is a beautiful and mostly safe location.
“My belief is that everywhere there are issues and we all need to be prudent in when we go and where we go,” he said.
“So I don’t travel at night, avoid big crowds and lock my doors. Whether you are in Newark, N.J., or Nairobi, Kenya, we can all fall victim to crime or terrorism.”
The Associated Press
“I saw bodies being tossed in the air. The whole place was thrown into darkness and a lot of dust.”
On Thursday and Friday, TUI Travel, which owns the British tourism companies Thomson and First Choice, evacuated customers and cancelled all flights to Mombasa until October. The British government had urged its citizens to leave the town and nearby beach resorts.
The U.S. and Britain were among several nations renewing warnings of possible terrorist attacks.
Security concerns are high in Kenya because of its proximity to Somalia and the Al-Qaeda-linked group, Al-Shabab, that operates there. In September, four Al-Shabab gunmen attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi, killing at least 67 people.
More than 100 people have died in shootings, grenade attacks and bombings in Kenya in the past 18 months, the U.S. embassy said. Recently, Kenyan authorities, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, discovered a huge car bomb.
Al-Qaeda detonated a massive bomb outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1988, killing more than 200 people.
The embassy has beefed up security in recent days.
As for the evacuations, many travel companies have insurance policies that do not cover tourists in high-risk locations, added Mr. Gration, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who runs a technology and investment consultancy in Nairobi.
Some of the tourists boarding a flight home at Mombasa airport expressed disappointment with the decision to evacuate them, saying they had felt safe
“We believe we’re safe here where we are in Kenya,” said Dave Moor of England. “Everyone has been really friendly, non-threatening. We’ve had no worries at all, you know, and we’re just so upset that you wait all year for your holiday and you’ve got three days and they send you home without any real reason.”
Mr. Gration said Kenya’s coast is a beautiful and mostly safe location.
“My belief is that everywhere there are issues and we all need to be prudent in when we go and where we go,” he said.
“So I don’t travel at night, avoid big crowds and lock my doors. Whether you are in Newark, N.J., or Nairobi, Kenya, we can all fall victim to crime or terrorism.”
The Associated Press
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