- The ‘City in the Sun’ and ‘the House of Peace’ were for days engulfed in heavy dark clouds of smoke and chaos.
- On the morning of August 7, 1998, terrorists launched twin bomb blast attacks at the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es salaam which left 224 people dead and more than 5,000 wounded.
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7 things the US immediately did after the Nairobi-Dar es Salaam twin bomb blast attack
The ‘City in the Sun’ and ‘the House of Peace’ were for days engulfed in heavy dark clouds of smoke and chaos.
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On the morning of August 7, 1998, at 10:30 am in Kenya and 10:40 am in Tanzania, the two countries came face to face with the ugly face of terrorism and the world was introduced to the striking image of Osama bin Laden.
The ‘City in the Sun’ and ‘the House of Peace’ were for days engulfed in heavy dark clouds of smoke and chaos after terrorists launched twin bomb blast attacks at the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es salaam which left 224 people dead and more than 5,000 wounded.
Twelve of the people killed in Nairobi were Americans with terrorist group al Qaeda claiming responsibility.
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According to "The Looming Tower", a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the rise of Al-Qaeda, bin Laden gave various reasons for targeting the embassies, such as the deployment of American troops to Somalia and a US plan to partition Sudan, where he had lived for five years until being expelled in 1996.
Here are 7 steps the US immediately took after the Nairobi-Dar es salaam twin bomb blast attack.
August 7, 1998
The US is shocked and condemns the twin bomb blast attacks at US embassy in Nairobi and Dar es salaam which left 224 people dead and more than 5,000 wounded and vows it will not rest until all the terrorists involved are arrested and severely punished.
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August 20, 1998
Thirteen days after the bomb blast, the United States launched cruise missiles at suspected terrorists targets in Afghanistan and Sudan, in retaliation for the embassy bombings.
President Bill Clinton said the US strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan and a facility in Sudan are part of "a long, ongoing struggle between freedom and fanaticism."
August 27, 1998
US officials charge Yemeni Citizen Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al-‘Owhali with 12 counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in connection with the embassy bombing in Kenya.
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August 28, 1998
US officials charge Mohammed Saddiq Odeh with 12 counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.
September 16, 1998
Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, reportedly a founding member of al Qaeda, is arrested in Munich, Germany. He is later extradited to the United States and charged in the embassy bombings. As of 2018, he is still awaiting trial.
September 18, 1998
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Wadih El Hage, a US citizen from Arlington, Texas is arrested and held without bail in New York.
He is the fourth person so far, and the only US citizen, to face charges in connection with the August 7 blasts.
Federal officials claimed El Hage who lived in Kenya from 1994 until 1997 before returning to the US, was once served as the personal secretary for Osama bin Laden and believe he masterminded the bomb blast attacks.
November 4, 1998
US officials indict Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda military chief Muhammad Atef on 224 counts of murder for the Nairobi and Dar es salaam US embassy for the embassy bombings.
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The State Department offers a $5 million reward for information leading to bin Laden's arrest or conviction.
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