News

DATE=8/19/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-237323 TITLE=NAIROBI / HOTEL RAID (L) BYLINE=CAROL PINEAU DATELINE=NARIOBI CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: AGENTS FROM THE U-S FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AND KENYAN POLICE HAVE SEARCHED A NAIROBI HOTEL WHERE THEY REPORTEDLY BELIEVE TERRORISTS ASSEMBLED THE BOMB EXPLODED NEAR THE U-S EMBASSY. CAROL PINEAU REPORTS FROM NAIROBI. TEXT: F-B-I AGENTS AND KENYAN POLICE RAIDED THE HILLTOP HOTEL IN DOWNTOWN NAIROBI ON TUESDAY. EMPLOYEES AT THE HOTEL SAY THE AGENTS SEALED OFF THE BUILDING FOR NEARLY THREE HOURS WHILE INVESTIGATORS SEARCHED THE HOTEL, CONCENTRATING ON TWO ROOMS. THEY DUSTED FOR FINGERPRINTS AND OTHER EVIDENCE, CONFISCATED THE HOTEL REGISTER AND RECEIPTS BOOK, AND DETAINED THE MANAGER FOR QUESTIONING. THE KENYA TIMES NEWSPAPER REPORTED WEDNESDAY THAT THE SUSPECT EXTRADITED LAST FRIDAY FROM PAKISTAN TO KENYA, MOHAMMED SADDIQ ODEH (PRON: HWAY'-DAH), LED INVESTIGATORS TO THE HOTEL. THE NEWSPAPER SAID MR. ODEH CHECKED INTO THE HOTEL THREE DAYS BEFORE THE BOMB BLAST, JOINING THREE OTHERS WHO ARRIVED THE DAY BEFORE. THE REPORT SAID THE BOMB, WHICH LEFT 247 DEAD AND MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND INJURED, WAS THEN ASSEMBLED IN A SMALL TRUCK AND DRIVEN ACROSS TOWN TO THE U-S EMBASSY. THE HILLTOP HOTEL, WHICH IS NOT LISTED IN THE NAIROBI TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, IS A RUN-DOWN BUILDING IN A HEAVILY POPULATED DISTRICT OF DOWNTOWN NAIROBI. IT IS AN AREA OF THE CITY WHERE A FOREIGNER WOULD NOT BE OUT OF PLACE. BUT SEVERAL PEOPLE COULD HAVE SEEN THE SUSPECTS. THERE IS A REFRESHMENTS STAND AND AN OPEN COURTYARD WHERE GUESTS MILL ABOUT. CONSTRUCTION CREWS ARE WORKING IN MANY OF THE FIRST FLOOR ROOMS. KHALID SALEH IS THE SON OF THE OWNER OF THE HOTEL AND SHOP ON THE GROUND FLOOR. HE SAYS HE DOES NOT REMEMBER SEEING ANYONE UNUSUAL PRIOR TO THE BOMBING. HE SAYS THE AREA IS TOO POPULATED FOR ANYONE TO BUILD A BOMB UNNOTICED. /// SALEH ACT /// YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE A TRAIN STATION. PEOPLE COME AND GO. I'VE NOT SEEN ANY OF THEM. IT'S A VERY BUSY PLACE, AND YOU COULD HAVE DEFINITELY NOTICED. USUALLY CLEANERS COME TO CLEAN EVERY DAY. WE DON'T ALLOW PEOPLE TO GO WITH THE KEYS, SO IF THERE WERE ANYONE WHO WAS ASSEMBLING A BOMB HERE, IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE HER, DEFINITELY NOT, (I AM) 100-PERCENT (SURE). /// END ACT /// FRANCIS ISHUGA CLEANS THE ROOMS AT THE HILL TOP HOTEL. HE ALSO DOES NOT REMEMBER SEEING THE SUSPECTS OR ANYTHING UNUSUAL IN THE TWO ROOMS. KISHOR RAGHWANI MANAGES THE CONSTRUCTION AT THE HILLTOP HOTEL. HE SAYS THE POLICE OFTEN COME TO THE HOTEL BECAUSE OF FREQUENT ROBBERIES. HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE BOMBERS WOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE HOTEL. /// RAGHWANI ACT /// IT IS NOT THE RIGHT PLACE TO DO SUCH KIND OF THINGS. POLICE CAN COME ANYTIME, SO IT IS NOT A SAFE PLACE TO COME AND DO SUCH KIND OF THINGS. /// END ACT /// BUT MARTIN AYUB, A DRIVER OUTSIDE THE HOTEL, DISAGREES. /// AYUB ACT /// THEY COULD ASSEMBLE IT, KNOWING THE PEOPLE HERE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT BOMBS. YOU SEE MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE THEY ARE MECHANICS AND ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE (TYPES OF PROFESSIONS). SO IF PEOPLE COME WITH THE BOMBS AND START ASSEMBLING (THEM), NOBODY WOULD KNOW THAT THIS IS A BOMB. /// END ACT /// IN A BRIEF STATEMENT, THE F-B-I CONFIRMED AGENTS CONDUCTED A SEARCH AT THE HOTEL ON TUESDAY AND THAT THE INVESTIGATION WAS PROCEEDING IN A LOGICAL MANNER. THE STATEMENT SAID THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER COMMENT AT THIS TIME. (SIGNED) NEB/CP/JWH 19-Aug-98 11:03 AM EDT (1503 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .