In simultaneous attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya on Thursday, three suicide bombers drove an explosive packed car into an Israeli-owned hotel killing eight people, and an Israeli charter jet narrowly avoided being hit by surface-to-air missiles.
Police said a green four-wheel drive vehicle rammed through the gates of the Paradise hotel in Kikambala, 24km north of Mombasa, at 8am local time. The owner, Yehuda Sulami, said one of the bombers jumped off and detonated a bomb in the lobby while the other two remained in the vehicle.
According to the police, the blast killed six Kenyan hotel workers, two Israeli tourists and the three bombers. Most of the Kenyan victims were from a traditional dance group. But the Israeli government said three Israelis, including two children, were killed. About 80 other people were wounded.
Aharon Hammel, who owns a hotel in Kikambala, told Israel army radio: ”I can see the bodies of local residents. I don’t know about the Israelis. The whole hotel is burned.”
Minutes earlier two surface-to-air missiles were fired at an Israeli charter plane flying tourists home. They narrowly missed and the 261 passengers and 10 crew landed safely in Tel Aviv. The pilot saw a flash of light on the left side of the plane during the attack.
The Arkia charter flight had initially prepared for an emergency landing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Police spokesman Kimgori Mwangi said missile casings were found near the airport and ”three or four men with Arab features” were seen fleeing the scene. He said it looked like a coordinated attack.
A radical Muslim cleric in London, Abu Hamza al-Masri, told Reuters: ”It is definitely al-Qaeda or a militant group that supports it. They have mostly attacked Westerners because the Israelis are difficult to reach, but Israelis are their priority.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the missile attack signalled ”a very dangerous escalation of terror. It means that terror organisations and the regimes behind them are able to arm themselves with weapons which can cause mass casualties anywhere and everywhere.
”Today they’re firing the missiles at Israeli planes, tomorrow they’ll fire missiles at American planes, British planes, every country’s aircraft. Therefore, there can be no compromise with terror.”
Israel was sending a plane with doctors to Kenya to help treat and evacuate the wounded.