Since the 1991 overthrow of Somali dictator Muhammad Siad Barre, Somalia has been a nation in conflict. Al-Ittihad al-Islami emerged with Barre's ouster. The group wants to establish an Islamic regime and has helped spread Islamic fundamentalism, according to the U.S. government.

Some observers say Al-Ittihad al-Islami was responsible for bringing down two American helicopters and the deaths of 18 U.S. soldiers in 1993, according to a congressional report. A United Nations peacekeeping mission led by the United States ended in the deaths of hundreds of Somalis and numerous soldiers, including the 18 Americans. The 15-hour firefight was dramatized in the movie "Black Hawk Down."

Al-Ittihad al-Islami has participated in a number of insurgent-style attacks against Ethiopian forces and Somali factions, according to the State Department. The group is also thought to be responsible for a series of bombings in public places in 1996 and 1997.

Eight Red Cross workers and two pilots were kidnapped in 1998 as they arrived in Somalia. Gunmen demanded a $100,000 ransom but released them about a week later. The State Department believes Al-Ittihad al-Islami is responsible for their abduction.

With the signing of the USA Patriot Act on December 5, 2001, the Bush administration placed Al-Ittihad al-Islami, or the Islamic Union, on its list of organizations whose funds are frozen. The intent is to deter donations to the organization and alert other governments to U.S. concerns about the group's involvement in terrorist activities.

MOMBASA, Kenya -- Investigators are examining remnants of two industrial gas canisters they believe were used in a suicide attack that left 16 dead and destroyed a Kenya hotel.

The bottoms of the canisters, which police think were filled with highly explosive material, were found in the rubble of the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel in Mombasa.

Ten Kenyans and three Israeli tourists were killed when three suicide bombers drove an explosives-packed car through the hotel gates on Thursday.

Investigators on Sunday also were looking at a burnt barrel of an AK-47 found in the rubble and reassembling parts of a four-wheel drive vehicle used in the bombing.

Kenyan authorities are being aided in the investigation by Israeli officials, who are urging local authorities to let them take evidence back to Israel.

Kenyan authorities are holding 10 people for questioning in connection with the bombing, although no one has been charged.

The six Pakistanis and four Somalis apparently entered the country by boat and did not have proper travel documents, authorities said. Most of them had passports issued in Somalia.

Two detainees -- an American woman and her Spanish husband -- were released on Saturday after police determined they were not connected to tthe bombing.(Full story)

It's still not clear who was responsible for the attack, which came minutes after unknown attackers tried unsuccessfully to shoot down an Israeli charter jet with surface-to-air missiles. None of the 271 on board the Arkia Boeing 757 was injured.

Following the attacks, U.S. officials warned Americans against traveling to Yemen because of new terror threats. They also advised travelers of an increased risk of terror attacks in east Africa, particularly Djibouti, where U.S. forces are training for antiterror operations. (Full story)

Meanwhile, U.S. officials said they had prior intelligence about possible terror attacks in Kenya before Thursday's attacks. But authorities did not consider the information credible and took no action, a senior U.S. official said. (Full story)

In Kenya, authorities have had no luck in finding the white four-wheel drive vehicle seen near an airport runway where two surface-to-air missiles were fired at the Israeli charter jet as it took off.

On Friday, crews found two launchers and two unused surface-to-air missiles less than a quarter-mile from the end of the runway.

Scrap metal workers said they saw a white four-wheel-drive vehicle parked near where police later found the missiles and launchers, but did not see anyone fire them Thursday morning.

Israeli intelligence sources said the missiles used in the attack were "almost certainly SA-7s, or Strela missiles."

In the hotel bombing, investigators used vehicle registration, chassis and engine numbers to track the ownership history of the green, four-wheel-drive vehicle used in the attack and were attempting to come up with the identities of the three men in the car.

Police so far have managed to establish that the car had been inside Kenya since 1991 and changed ownership in 1998. They don't know who has owned it in the past four years.

They also have retrieved body parts that appear to belong to one of the bombers, as well as what may be a crude manual detonator used to set off the explosives packed in the vehicle that barreled through a security fence.

Israeli investigators want Kenyan police to allow them to take bomb fragments, vehicle parts, rocket launchers and batteries back to Israel.

Kenyan police said they haven't received an official request, but they would like to do initial investigations in their country.

Police said if more sophisticated investigation is needed, they would gladly consider any official Israeli request for the items.

A final decision on the issue could be made by Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi.

After the attacks, the Kenyan ambassador to Israel blamed the al Qaeda terrorist network, but a spokesman for U.S. President George W. Bush said it was premature to say al Qaeda was involved.

The Kenyan economy has suffered since al Qaeda terrorists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing 214 people. (Case file)

A senior U.S. administration source told CNN that al Qaeda and a Somali-based Islamist group, Al-Ittihad al-Islami, top the list of suspects in the attacks. The official and other U.S. officials have made clear they believe AIAI is associated with al Qaeda. (Full story)

The only claim of responsibility for the attacks came from a previously unknown group calling itself "The Army of Palestine." An unsigned fax claiming responsibility was sent to Al-Manar, the Hezbollah television station in Lebanon, where editors said it did not appear credible.

In the wake of Thursday's attacks, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said it tightened security and urged Americans in Kenya to exercise extra precautions at hotels and tourist locations. U.S. forces in Kenya went to condition Delta, the highest level of force protection.

The Israel Foreign Ministry advised Israelis to postpone unnecessary visits to South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya, and cautioned its citizens to take extra care overseas in light of the recent terror attacks.

Israel's intelligence organization, Mossad, has been dispatched to pursue those responsible for the attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the agency would find them, wherever they are and no matter how long it takes. (Full story)

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Gas canisters focus of Kenya probe

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