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U.S. finds more evidence that links al-Qaida to Kenya attacks I BY JOHN J. LUMPKIN Til K ASSOCIATED I’llKSN WASHINGTON - U.S. suspicions that al-Qaida was behind last week’s terrorist attacks in Kenya grew stronger after counterter rorism officials deemed a claim of responsibility credible and tied missiles used in the attack to an attempted hit on a military plane in May. U.S. authorities are treating the claim as authentic, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymi ty. The claim, posted on the Web site www.azfalrasas.com, is at tributed to “The Political Office of al-Qaida Jihad Organization.” The statement called Thursday’s attacks in Mombasa — on an airliner and a hotel, both full of Israelis — a Ramadan greet ing to the Palestinian people and referred to al-Qaida’s deadly bombings in 1998 against U.S. em bassies in Kenya and Tanzania. “At the same place where the ‘Jewish Crusader coalition’ was hit four years ago ... here the * fighters of al-Qaida came back once again to strike heavily against that evil coalition. But this time, it was against Jews,” the statement said. In the attacks, two missiles were launched at an Israeli char ter airliner just after it took off from Mombasa for Tel Aviv, Israel, with 261 passengers and 10 crew members on board. Both missed. The Arkia Airlines Boeing 757 landed safely at its destination. About the same time, a vehicle bomb exploded at an Israeli owned hotel in Mombasa, killing 10 Kenyans, three Israelis and the three bombers. Kenyan officials have detained at least 12 people. The Internet statement pledged to continue operations, saying, “It is a war between faith and the in fidel, between truth and fallacy, between justice and injustice.” Someone listing an address in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, regis tered the Internet address for the site, which is published on com puters in Texas, Internet records show. Two anti-aircraft missile launchers recovered after the failed attack on the Israeli airliner are from the same production batch as one fired in May by an al-Qaida op erative in Saudi Arabia at a U.S. military plane, officials said. That suggests another al-Qaida link to the Kenya attacks, because the portable heat-seeking missiles probably were obtained as a group, the officials said. The U.S. government has ob tained other, unspecified infor mation that suggests Osama bin Laden’s organization was respon sible, they said. U.S. officials have also suggested an affiliated Islamic extremist net work from Somalia, al-Itihaad al Islamiya, may have played a role. To make the missile connection, investigators compared serial num bers on the two discarded launch ers found with the number on the launch tube recovered outside Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia seven months ago. The numbers were close, officials said. Thousands of this class of mis sile, known in Western countries as the SA-7 Grail, have been pro duced in Russia, Eastern Europe, China, Yugoslavia, Egypt and else where. They chase the heat pro duced by an airplane engine and explode but are effective only while the target plane is flying low and slow. STATE S.C. man gets 25 years for assault CHARLESTON (AP) - A con victed sex offender has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after he admitted he forced a teenager to fondle him as she walked tp the bus stop. Alex White, 34, of North Charleston, pleaded guilty to Monday to assault with intent to commit criminal sexual con duct, prosecutor Scarlett Wilson said. White grabbed the teen in August 2001 and forced her to fondle him at a nearby mobile home park, Wilson^aid. When she tried to run away, the man threatened to break her neck. He eventually let her go after she screamed when a police cruiser drove by, ac cording to an arrest warrant. White is a registered sex of fender in South Carolina who has three convictions for inde cent exposure and one for fail ing to register as a sex offender. NATION Ship passengers try to avoid bug ABOARD THE FASCINATION (AP) - The cruise ship Fascination steamed toward Key West and Mexico on Tuesday, with passengers tak ing precautions to avoid catch ing the disease that sickened nearly 200 people on the ship’s last voyage. Marek Biela, 36, of Marlboro, Mass., said he was washing his hands frequently, one of the recommendations Carnival Cruise Lines gave to passengers when they board ed Monday at Miami. But Biela was thinking more about what he would do during a day trip at Key West. “The worst case is you can get sick for a day or two,” he said. “If this was a life-threat ening disease, I wouldn’t get on the boat.” The ship left Miami late Monday on a cruise that also stops in Cozumel, Mexico. WORLD Tear gas escalates Venezuela strike CARACAS, VENEZUELA (AP) — National guard troops atop armored vehicles fired tear gas at crowds of protesters Tuesday as a general strike aimed at forcing President Hugo Chavez to call elections escalated into clashes on its second day. Opposition leaders accused the government of harass ment, and government minis ters accused strike leaders of trying to provoke a coup. Oil executives called a rally at the headquarters of the state owned oil monopoly after the home of a top manager was robbed early Tuesday. As crowds gathered at the protest site, which the government had declared off-limits for demon strations, troops rolled in and dispersed them with tear gas. With pressure rising in Venezuela, the U.S. State Department urged the govern ment to restart negotiations. ---1 : Help Save A Life - Donate Plasma Today. It's The Right Thing To Do! 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