FBI links blast to improvised fertiliser bomb
FBI links blast to improvised fertiliser bomb
Updated 6 hrs 48 mins ago
By Cyrus Ombati and Ally Jamah
A fertiliser bomb made of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil likely caused the deadly Monday blast that blew up a landmark building in the centre of Nairobi, injuring up to 33 people, five of them critically.
Fertiliser bombs are a signature of terrorist group Al-Qaeda, which has links with Al-Shabaab militants fighting Kenyan troops in Somalia. However, police are yet to link the militants to the blast.
Even more chilling is a report by the Associated Press news agency quoting intelligence firm IntelCenter as saying Al-Shabaab militants bragged about mingling with journalists and interviewing survivors following the blast.
It quotes an unnamed investigator as saying that the strong smell of ammonia at the scene points to the likelihood of an improvised explosive device (IED)
favoured by terrorists. Details about the possible nature of the IED emerged as three agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) joined Kenyan bomb experts to sift through the debris at the site for evidence.
The FBI agents joined Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit to investigate the Moi Avenue explosion.
The agents who have been in the country in the past weeks, arrived at the Assanand’s House site of the blast and combed the scene for the better part of on Tuesday.
They carted away several samples in paper bags that they had collected, saying they would analyse them as part of efforts to know the elements used in the IED. Among the 33 people wounded was a woman who blamed the blast on a “bearded man” who left behind a bag shortly before the detonation.
The explosion sent dark smoke billowing out of a one-story building on the downtown avenue named after Kenya’s second president. The blast peeled back the front corner of the building’s aluminum roof, shattered windows in the building and scattered shoes, clothes and other wares on the ground.
A high-rise building with a glass exterior next door was largely untouched.
Al-Shabaab threatened in October to bring down Nairobi skyscrapers and referenced the July 2010 bomb attacks they masterminded in Kampala, Uganda, that killed 76 people.
Al-Shabaab issued the threat against Kenya after Kenyan troops moved into Somalia to attack al-Shabaab fighters.
IntelCenter said the development poses significant challenges to security forces and the media covering attacks.
Head of Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Boniface Mwaniki coordinated investigations at the scene before he left for a meeting at police headquarters, Vigilance House, Nairobi.
Mr Mwaniki told The Standard they are yet to know the materials that were used in the IED.
“They are good friends and as you know their technology is advanced so they are here to help in unravel this puzzle,” he said.
The FBI agents wore gloves and used special metal detectors to collect samples from the scene.
Tampered
Sources revealed that the first batch of samples were taken to the US Embassy in Nairobi on Monday night, and Government Chemist on Tuesday for analysis.
Results on the same are expected earliest on Friday, our sources said. The officers complained that the scene had been tampered with after the stall owners were allowed to carry away shoes and clothes that were strewn all over.
This forced the experts to concentrate on a crater that the explosive created in the building where the bag that is believed to have contained it went off.
They used special spades to dig as they sieved the collected rubbles. Police said no arrest has been made, but they had taken statements from survivors and victims.
A witness, Irene Wachira said the explosive went off soon after a bearded man left a bag near her stall.
She said the man had gone to the stall three times and acted as if he was interested in buying something.
Wachira added that the man was light skinned and appeared to be of Arabic descent.
On Tuesday, doctors said 21 victims were discharged and only 12 are still admitted. Two are in a serious condition.
No group has claimed responsibility of the attack. On Tuesday, senior police officers in the city were locked in meetings. Those of Nairobi Area police command met at the PPO’s office, while Iteere and CID director Ndegwa Muhoro met at their respective offices.
Muhoro later asked the public to always avoid such scenes of incidents. “Secondary blasts usually cause more damage than the primary ones. Let all including politicians stop rushing there, no matter what has happened because more damage may occur or deaths at times,” said Muhoro.
We established that the meeting resolved to launch major operations in Nairobi, Mombasa and North Eastern towns to flush out Al-Shabaab. “You will see more operations soon because some of these people are known to us, but we have no evidence,” said a senior officer.
Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o wants Treasury to set up a Sh2 billion special fund to help Kenyatta National Hospital deal with frequent disasters.
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