1998 East Africa Embassy Bombings
The 1998 East Africa Embassy Bombings were coordinated attacks that occurred on August 7, targeting U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. At approximately 10:45 a.m., car bombs detonated almost simultaneously, resulting in over 200 fatalities, primarily among local civilians. In Nairobi, the explosion killed 213 people and injured around 4,000, while in Dar es Salaam, 12 were killed and 85 were injured. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks, which marked a significant shift in global terrorism dynamics by highlighting the rise of non-state actors like Al Qaeda as major threats. In response, the United States engaged in military retaliation through a series of cruise missile strikes targeting Al Qaeda positions in Afghanistan.
Following the bombings, the U.S. government pursued suspects associated with the attacks, leading to the arrest and conviction of several individuals, including mastermind Fazul Abdul Mohammed. The events underscored a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy, catalyzing a focus on combating terrorism and leading to the declaration of a "war on terrorism." The bombings are often viewed as a precursor to subsequent terrorist activities that would redefine security concerns in the years to come.
1998 East Africa Embassy Bombings
Summary: The East Africa Embassy Bombings refers to two car bombs that exploded almost simultaneously outside the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998. More than 200 people were killed in the attacks, most of them local residents. Al Qaeda was blamed, and in retaliation the United States launched a cruise missile attack on a target in Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden was suspected of being present. Four Somalis were arrested, extradited to New York, and convicted of involvement in the attacks. Following the bombings, Osama bin Laden was placed at the top of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. In June 2011, the mastermind behind the bombings and Al Qaeda's leader in East Africa, Fazul Abdul Mohammed, was killed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The East Africa Bombings marked a seminal moment for the United States, as it brought the global fundamentalist jihad to the attention of the general public for the first time and identified Al Qaeda as a major threat. The bombings also underscored a shift from state-sponsored terrorism to Al Qaeda's non-state jihad.
Overview. At 10:45 a.m. on August 7, 1998, bombs in cars parked next to the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, exploded almost simultaneously. In Nairobi, where the embassy was situated in the city center, the blast killed 213 people and injured about 4,000. Most of the casualties were Africans. In Dar es Salaam, where the embassy was situated outside the city center, there were 12 fatalities and 85 wounded. The combined death toll included 12 American employees of the government (or family members of the employees), 32 Kenyan employees, and 6 Tanzanian employees.
In both cases, actions by local embassy guards prevented the attacks from doing more damage. In Nairobi, a guard stopped the driver of the car bomb from driving into the embassy compound through a back gate that led to an underground garage; the fact that the car bomb exploded outside the embassy's grounds minimized damage and injury to employees inside the building. In Dar es Salaam, a local guard prevented the driver of the car bomb from getting closer to the building; in addition, a large water truck was coincidentally parked in the driveway.
Key Figures. Al Qaeda quickly claimed responsibility for the attacks, and the FBI took the lead in investigating the bombings, alongside police from Kenya and Tanzania. The United States obtained widespread cooperation in arresting suspects.
The FBI offered a $5 million reward for the man accused of masterminding the bombings, Fazul Abdul Mohammed. Mohammed eluded capture, however, and later organized a bombing of a tourist hotel in Kenya as well as a failed effort to shoot down an Israeli airliner using shoulder rockets. Mohammed later surfaced in Somalia, where he became a prominent leader of the Islamic Courts Union, an alliance of Islamist groups trying to establish a government based on Sharia law in Sudan. Mohammed was widely reputed to be Al Qaeda's top leader in East Africa as well as the top leader of Al Shabab, a Somali militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda. In June 2011, Mohammed was killed at a government checkpoint in Mogadishu.
Four other men were arrested and accused of direct involvement in the bombings. They were extradited to the United States, tried and convicted in New York in May 2001, and sentenced to life in prison:
Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, 28. A Tanzanian, Mohamed was convicted of grinding the TNT used in the bomb and renting the house where the bomb was made in Dar es Salaam.
Mohamed Rashed Al-'Owhali, 24. A Saudi, Al-'Owhali was convicted of purchasing the SUV used to carry the bomb to the embassy in Nairobi, riding it part way, throwing stun grenades to distract embassy guards, and then fleeing the scene.
Mohamed Sadeek Odeh. A Jordanian, Odeh was arrested in Pakistan after the bombings. He was convicted of being the technical adviser to the bombers and helping make the bomb used in Kenya.
Wadih el-Hage, 41. A native of Lebanon and U.S. citizen, and a former secretary to bin Laden, el-Hage was convicted of serving as the leader of Al Qaeda operations in Nairobi.
Numerous other suspects were indicted in connection with the case, including two whose fingerprints were found on letters claiming responsibility for the bombings. The pair were arrested in Britain and ordered extradited to the United States, though neither was ever actually extradited:
Adel Abdel Bary, a Egyptian accused of being part of the plot but not participating in the actual bombings. Bary was arrested by Scotland Yard and ordered extradited to the United States. Appeals blocked his transfer to the United States.
Ibrahim Eidarous was arrested in Britain in 1999, accused of being part of the plot but not of participating in the actual attacks. He was ordered extradited in 2001, hospitalized for leukemia, and later released from custody in Britain.
Also accused were top leaders of Al Qaeda, including:
Osama bin Laden, a Saudi. Bin Laden was the notorious leader of Al Qaeda who was believed at the time to be hiding in Afghanistan.
Ayman al Zawahiri, an Egyptian. Al Zawahiri was the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and thought to be the second-in-command of Al Qaeda. He was believed at the time to be hiding in Afghanistan.
Muhammed Atef, an Egyptian and senior Al Qaeda leader. Atef was involved with the 9/11 attacks and died in a U.S. air raid in Kabul on December 6, 2001.
Others accused of playing a role in the bombings included:
Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil, an Egyptian. Fadhil was seen associating with one of the bombers in Tanzania. He was indicted and listed on the FBI's Most-Wanted list.
Fahid Muhammad Ali Masalam, who was seen meeting Fadhil in Tanzania within two weeks of the bombing.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian. Ghailani was accused of buying the truck used in the Dar es Salaam attack. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2004 and handed over to FBI.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, an Egyptian. Abdullah was head of Al Qaeda's media committee and was believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
Ahmed Mohamed Hamed Ali, an Egyptian. Ali fled Kenya in August 1998, and went to Karachi, Pakistan, before the attacks. He is believed to be in Afghanistan.
Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah, an Egyptian. Atwah was wanted as co-conspirator in the Dar es Salaam bombing. He was thought at the time to be hiding in Afghanistan.
Anas al-Liby, a Libyan computer specialist. Al-Liby was thought at the time to be hiding in Afghanistan.
At the time of the embassy bombings, state-sponsored terrorism was considered as the main threat of terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism was not unusual in the Middle East, especially attacks directed against Israel by both secular and religious groups -- for instance, attacks against Isarael by Hezbollah, backed by Iran, from Lebanon.
The East Africa embassy bombings therefore marked a seminal event in United States history, as they forced the United States to begin paying serious attention to Al Qaeda as a terrorist threat. Days after the attacks, President Bill Clinton authorized "Operation Infinite Reach" and ordered the U. S. military to launch about 75 cruise missiles against Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, was an intended target in Afghanistan, but he had left the site a few hours earlier. The U.S. also attacked a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, Sudan, that was suspected of manufacturing chemical weapons for Al Qaeda. Serious doubts were later raised about whether the factory was actually connected to Al Qaeda. The Clinton administration later pledged to "wage a war on terrorism."
Bibliography
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Bergen, Peter and Frank Smyth, "Holy Warrior," New Republic, 219:9, Aug. 31, 1998, p. 17.
Clinton, William J. "Address to the Nation on Military Action Against Terrorist Sites in Afghanistan and Sudan." Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Aug. 24, 1998.
Elliott, Michael. "Terror Times Two," Newsweek, 132:7, Aug. 17, 1998, p. 77.
Ginsberg, Thomas. "Four bin Laden Associates Get Life in Prison for Roles in Bombings of U.S. Embassies." Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 18, 2001.
Kaplan, David E. and Stefan Lovgren. "On Terrorism's Trail," U.S. News & World Report, 125:20, Nov. 23, 1998, p. 30.
Klaidman, Daniel et al. "Massive Manhunt," Newsweek, 132:6, Aug. 24, 1998, p. 30.