Kenya attack detainees freed

Remains of the Paradise Hotel

The Kenyan judiciary has cleared nine people who were detained after the attacks on Israeli targets in Mombasa last month.

The nine fishermen - six Pakistanis and three Somalis - have only been charged with entering Kenya illegally and face fines and deportation.

In late November, suicide bombers killed 10 Kenyans and three Israelis at an Israeli-owned hotel north of Mombasa.

Kenyan police are still questioning three people in connection with the attack.

No evidence

The nine defendants were shabbily dressed and looked tired when they appeared before a high court judge on Friday, says the BBC's Noel Mwakugu in Mombasa.

The men, who pleaded not guilty, had been arrested on a fishing boat in Mombasa airport in the wake of the 28 November attack.

They have been fined the equivalent of $630. If they fail to pay the fine, they will be jailed for one year. They will then be deported to their home countries.

The investigation focuses on Mr Nabhan

Police said they had failed to get evidence linking the nine to the attack.

But they are still holding three people who they say witnessed the sale of the car they allege was used in the attack.

Prime suspect

The three are the mother and the brother of suspect Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, and the man he is believed to have bought the four-wheel drive vehicle from.

Earlier this week, Kenyan police released photographs of Mr Nabhan.

A $6,000 reward has also been offered for information leading to the arrest of 23-year-old, a resident of Majengo in Mombasa.

Police say he bought the Pajero on 15 November, and they say they cannot rule out that he may have been one of the suicide bombers.

His family say that he left home before the attack, saying he was going to South Africa to look for work.

Kenyan tourism has been suffering since the attack

On Monday, police released computer-generated images of two men they suspect carried out the failed simultaneous missile attack in Mombasa on an Israeli airliner.

The police also announced a $6,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of each man.

The two men were not named, but police believe the men are in their 30s.

A statement dated 6 December, purportedly from the al-Qaeda network, claimed responsibility for the twin attacks and threatened more attacks on Israeli and US targets.

Tour operators in Kenya are reporting a large number of cancellations.