BRIEFING: At approximately 10:40 a.m. on August 7, 1998, a bomb exploded near the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The bomb killed 212 people, including twelve Americans and thirty-one Foreign Service Nationals employed at the Embassy. An estimated 5,000 people were wounded in the terrorist attack. Many of these people were in nearby buildings or in the adjacent area outside. The Embassy, which was located in the congested downtown area, was extensively damaged, as the blast ripped through each floor and gutted the building. The entire Embassy compound, as well as the surrounding buildings in the crowded downtown location, suffered severe damage.

The FBI immediately went to East Africa to assist in the search, rescue, and investigative efforts. The exhaustive investigation of the crime scenes, in cooperation with the host countries, included over 1,000 interviews. This investigation was the largest overseas deployment of personnel in FBI history. The FBI named the investigation in Kenya "Kenbom," combining the words "Kenya" and "bombing."

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Exterior of the U.S. Embassy building in Nairobi, Kenya

Damaged vehicles located near the U.S. Embassy.

Aerial view of bomb damage which blew out the windows in the Cooperative Bank House, demolished the Ufundi Cooperative Building, and gutted the U.S. Embassy.

ENCLOSURES: Regional Facts, Map of the Region, Mission Status