Thursday, 28 November, 2002, 23:32 GMT

Dvir Anter, 13, and Noy, 12, Anter [photo: Haaretz newspaper] Two Israeli boys were killed in the attack [photo: Haaretz newspaper] Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of two attacks on Israeli citizens in Kenya.

At least 15 people - including one Israeli adult and two children - died in a suicide bombing at an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa and two missiles narrowly missed an Israeli holiday jet that had taken off from the city's airport.

"Our hand will reach them - if anyone doubted that the citizens of the state of Israel cannot stand up to the killers of children, this doubt will be removed," Mr Mofaz said of the attackers.

Earlier Prime Minister Ariel Sharon put the Mossad intelligence agency, which has a reputation for ruthlessness, in charge of investigating the attacks.

Mossad is best known for hunting down and killing several Palestinians suspected of the kidnap and murder of 11 Israelis at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The attacks coincided with important primary elections in Israel, where Mr Sharon appears to have fought off a party leadership challenge from Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The voting was overshadowed by a deadly gun attack on a polling station in the northern town of Beit Shean which left six Israelis dead.

Reduced to rubble

Kenya has stepped up security throughout the country since the attacks, especially in coastal areas and national parks frequented by tourists.

Map US security officials have been sent to protect American citizens on a cruise ship currently docked in Mombasa harbour.

The bombing, at 0800 local time (0500 GMT), reduced a large part of the Paradise Hotel to rubble and the rest to a smouldering shell.

Kenyan police said that as well as the three Israelis, nine Kenyans died, most of whom were said to be traditional dancers who came to welcome the tourists.

Three suicide bombers were also killed, they added.

Two people - said to be of Middle East origin - were detained, after they were found in the area of the bombing.

Israeli survivors Many survivors received cuts and bruises Eyewitnesses said an all-terrain vehicle with three men on board crashed through a barrier outside the Paradise Hotel and headed towards the lobby.

One man got out and ran towards the reception, where he set off an explosion, while the others stayed in the vehicle, which blew up at the same time, witnesses said.

The blast occurred just after some 60 visitors had checked into the hotel, all of them from Israel, hotel officials said.

Condemnation

In Lebanon, a previously unknown group called the Army of Palestine has said it carried out the attacks.

The group said it wanted the world to hear the "voice of the refugees" on the 55th anniversary of the partition of Palestine.

If these terrorists have scores to settle, let them fight the battles in their own countries

T.J. Kisukwa, Kenya Click here to send your comments

But Kenyan and Israeli officials speculated that Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network might have been responsible.

Washington condemned the attacks, but said it was too early to blame al-Qaeda.

"Today's attacks underscore the continuing willingness of those opposed to peace to commit horrible crimes," President George W Bush said in Crawford, Texas, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

"The United States remains firmly committed, with its partners around the world, to the fight against terror and those who commit these heinous acts."

Mr Bush urged all "those who seek peace... to to dismantle the infrastructure of terror".

If confirmed as the work of al-Qaeda, it would be their first direct attack on Israelis - despite Bin Laden's hostility towards Israel.

Mombasa, on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast, is a popular destination for foreign visitors and the hotel was frequented mainly by Israeli tourists.

In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania were attacked in nearly simultaneous car bombings that killed 219 people and 12 people respectively. The US blamed al-Qaeda.

Coordinated, synchronised attacks are a hallmark of al-Qaeda, and the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says months of careful surveillance clearly went into the latest Kenya attacks.

Near miss

In the second attack, missiles were fired at an Arkia airline plane - a Boeing 757 carrying 261 passengers.

The airliner landed safely at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv about five hours later. It was escorted in by Israeli F-15 fighter jets.

Kenyan police said a missile launcher and two missile casings were found in the Changamwe area of Mombasa, about two kilometres from the airport.

The Arkia charter company has a regular weekly service flying tourists between Tel Aviv and Mombasa.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2002