December 14, 2002	Saturday	Shawwal 9, 1423

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MOMBASA (Kenya) Dec 13: Kenyan investigators on Friday cleared six Pakistanis and three Somalis who were detained following twin anti-Israeli attacks in the port city of Mombasa last month.

“We not did get anything to connect them with the two attacks,” lead investigator William Lang’at told AFP by telephone.

The nine, whose detention police had earlier linked to the attacks, were however taken to court on Friday, found guilty of entering Kenya illegally and ordered to pay a fine of 50,000 shillings ($620) or serve a year in jail, after which they will be deported.

On Nov 28, three Israelis and 10 Kenyans were killed in Kikambala, near Mombasa, when three suicide bombers slammed a four-wheel drive vehicle packed with explosives into the Paradise Hotel.

Minutes earlier, two shoulder-fired missiles were launched at an Israeli passenger plane with 261 Israelis on board, as it took off from Mombasa airport, and narrowly missed the aircraft.

The six Pakistanis and three Somalis arrived in Mombasa by boat from neighbopuring Somalia on Nov 23.

At their court appearance, which took place amid tight security, they pleaded guilty to being in Kenya illegally.

Police prosecutors gave the Somalis’ names as Mohamed Aden Abdi, Abulkadir Abubakar Sheikh and Abdullahi Yusuf Abdi.

The Pakistanis were named as as Abdul Majid Issa, Ghulan Nabi Ahmed, Mir Mohammed Abdulkadir, Abdil Razal Jaro, Mohammed Rahim Moosa and Dur Mohammed Dosi.

Their lawyer Mohammed Warsame had on Wednesday petitioned the court urging it to compel the police have the nine either charged or released.

Under Kenyan law, suspects must be taken to court within 48 hours of their arrest, although there are exceptions for anti-terrorism cases.

In mitigation, the nine told the court that they were forced to enter Kenya after their fishing boat developed mechanical problems in the high seas.—AFP