UK - Kenia - ALL flights suspended

[Gunship]

BBC TV :

Just heard that ALL flight to and from Kenia to / from the UK are suspended due to a "terrorist threat". :uhoh:

[StressFree]

Gunship,
You're right, its all over the news here in London tonight.

The threat in Kenya is stated as 'specific' so it must be more than just the usual precautions. All British Airways flights to and from Kenya are now suspended.

Its a dangerous World these days.

:(

[AfricanSkies]

You know, these days, if the US or the UK issue a 'terrorist threat', tourism to that place grinds to a halt. Take Zanzibar - no tourists there now due to continued 'terrorist threats' 'received' by Western Intelligence Agencies. Anything happen? No.

BUT - one Muslim enclave suffers due to sudden lack of tourist income.

Basically the US/UK could issue a 'terrorist warning' about anywhere and destroy their economy if it is tourist-based, like many poor countries are.

Just have to give the nod and the wink...:confused:

[Gunship]

I read your guys comments with a big worry kreeping up ...

Just read in tonights Paper (Cape Town) about the latest 5 star (Grand 5 Star) - even a Electronic Butler ... 480 rooms Hotel.
They reckon it will be 85% booked ... on average.

The "new" Conference Centre that just opened / will be opening soon in Cape Town is FULLY Booked for 2 years ! They have just approved the expansion program before it is open / due to be open / have been open for a short while.

ONE "terrorist threat" and it is all in vain ... A serious , serious worry with serious consequences for all of "us" - especially in Africa.

In other words .. the way I see it .. Straw is in SA on a visit .. if he does not get the promised oil deal (victive) :E .. a "terrorist threat" get's published on SA ?

My penny's worth ... I am worried .. deeply worried .. Where is the damn wine Gunnss .... :uhoh:

[Gunship]

Here is the latest that I could find about the "threat"

One of the FBI's most wanted al-Qaeda suspects has allegedly been sighted in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Kenya's security ministry said on Thursday.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Comoros islander, is accused of being the mastermind behind both the 1998 bombing of the United States embassy in Nairobi and last November's suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in the Kenyan resort of Mombasa.

He is a suspected member of al-Qaeda and could be operating inside Kenya.

National Security Minister Chris Murungaru released his photograph on Wednesday night and said that security forces in the east African country had been put on high alert.

Somalia has long been seen as a potential hotspot for fugitives
"Given that this fellow has been sighted in Mogadishu and the information gathered is that he has been coming in and going out (of Kenya), then we have to be on high alert," ministry spokesperson Douglas Kaunda said.

"The minister said that there's already heightened surveillance of major installations, particularly western interests."

Mohammed has been indicted for the 1998 embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 224 people. He is also believed to have been the lynchpin in the 2002 Mombasa attacks, in which 16 people died.

In March, Kenyan police arrested another suspected al-Qaeda member in Mogadishu. Suleiman Abdalla, also accused of involvement in both terrorist attacks on Kenya, has been extradited to the US.

Somalia has long been seen as a potential hotspot for fugitives. There is no effective central government and the country is divided between rival warlords and their armed militias, making it an ideal hideout for fugitives.

Kaunda said that Mohammed was thought to use 17 different names, and to hold many different passports. His favourite alias was Harun, he said.

According to his FBI wanted poster: "He likes to wear baseball caps and tends to dress casually. He is very good with computers."

[Gunship]

Britain is suspending all flights to and from Kenya from Thursday because of the threat of a new terror attack in the east African country.

The British transport ministry told airlines "the threat level to UK civil aviation interests in Kenya has increased to imminent," the Association of British Travel Agents said.

"Accordingly, from 22.00 on Thursday, all UK airline operations to and from Kenya must be suspended."

The British Foreign Office later advised its nationals against travel to Kenya because of the threat of terrorist attacks.

"The Foreign Office is now advising against non-essential travel, including holiday travel, to Kenya, in light of the risk there of global terrorist activity," the government said in a statement.

"British nationals already in Kenya are advised to keep a low profile and to maintain a high level of vigilance in public places.

"The Department for Transport has issued a statement advising airlines to suspend all UK flights to Kenya."

The news came just hours after Kenyan authorities said they had information that one of the suspects indicted for the 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam was planning another attack.

"We have established that he (Fazul Abdallah Mohammed) is involved in a conspiracy for another attack and we are appealing to members of the public who may have information on him to report to the security agencies," Matthew Kabetu, the head of the Kenyan anti-terrorism police unit, told AFP.

"We have been told that there is something in the offing. It is a serious threat and we are desperate for information," Kabetu added.

The United States on Wednesday warned of a "high potential" for terrorist attacks targeting US citizens and interests throughout east Africa, particularly Kenya, after this week's triple suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Until further notice

But Kenya's Security Minister Chris Murungaru and the country's national carrier said they were not aware of the suspension.

"We will respond after receiving the British government's decision to suspend all British flights from Kenya because of an imminent security threat," Murungaru told AFP in Nairobi.

A BA spokesperson in Nairobi said a night-time flight to London was operating as scheduled but later flights have been cancelled until further notice.

"The move follows instructions from the British government Department of Transport that all registered airlines that fly to Kenya are to suspend flights... due to heightened security concerns in the region," he said.

Kenya Airways spokesperson Grace Njau told AFP the airline had "not received any advisory" from the British government.

"Flights are scheduled as normal and the last flight will leave at 23:40 for London," she said.

In Copenhagen meanwhile the Danish government advised all its citizens visiting Kenya to exercise caution, but stopped short of advising tourists to leave the country.

[df1]

Apparently Kenya Airways are still operating between UK and Kenya, and that a flight is due into LHR around 2000hrs. Their spokesman said that this decision was made in co-ordination with the UK government. (BBC News 24)

[George Tower]

This was the top item on the BBC news last night. I watched with interest as I'm planning a short trip to Kenya in August.

Naturally the threat must have been quite specific to warrant the action that was taken. I remember about 2-3 months ago when we had the army on streets around Heathrow because of some security alert or other. Our biggest enemy in the fight against terrorism is complacency. In the post 9/11 world I think everyone has to be overly cautious.

Getting back to Cape Town which is undoubtably experiencing something of an economic boom - I remember that only 5 years ago at least two bombs were exploded in tourist areas, but that seems to have been forgotton.

[Gunship]

Hear on the REAL radio station :p KFM (Cape br Cape) that there are a 1000 Brits "stranded" - so it seems like they are serious about the "threat" and making provision as well for it ...

[Gunship]

Kenya has criticised the British government's decision to order a halt to all flights between Britain and the east African nation following information of a possible terrorist attack.

Kenyan internal security minister Chris Murungaru told reporters on Thursday night in the capital Nairobi that such actions just play into the hands of terrorists and give them a victory.

He added that given the latest attacks in Saudi Arabia, the risk of terrorism is obviously worldwide, not just in Kenya.

British officials ordered the discontinuation of flights on Thursday after it received credible information that a terrorist attack was imminent.

The order stranded about 1 200 British tourists in Kenya, and they were advised to arrange flights through other countries and with other airlines. As of Friday, no other governments had ordered their air carriers to suspend flights in Kenya. - Sapa-DPA