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By Celestine Achieng
Sunday, August 03, 2008
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - One of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda operatives, sought for his role in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, has narrowly escaped capture in Kenya, police said on Sunday.
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, high on Washington's list of terrorist suspects, left a home in the Indian Ocean resort of Malindi late on Saturday just minutes before officers crashed through the door, police said.
"We sealed off the whole area and had sea and land patrols but unfortunately, Fazul got leakage of the intended raid and escaped," said one senior detective who asked not to be named.
"We are still looking for him."
The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of the Comorian, who speaks five languages and is said to be a master of disguise, forgery and bomb making.
He is accused of playing a lead role in the 1998 embassy attacks in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 240 people.
Kenyan police said they found two passports believed to belong to Mohammed and arrested two people, including the owner of the home, which is near the Malindi district hospital.
Another police source said more than 50 officers took part in the raid, and that Mohammed appeared to have been staying at the house for several days.
"Our intelligence reports show that he came into the country from Somalia to seek medical attention because of a kidney condition," the source told Reuters.
Washington says several al Qaeda men involved in the embassy bombings have sought sanctuary in neighbouring Somalia, where Islamist insurgents are fighting a weak Western-backed administration.
The U.S. military has launched several air strikes targeting them in the Horn of Africa since the start of last year. (Writing by Wangui Kanina; Editing by Daniel Wallis) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)
Source: Reuters, Aug 03, 2008