FBI agents, police pursue three theories in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport fire probe

Senior criminal investigation offi cials scour the scene of Wednesday’s fire Thursday. [PHOTOS: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD]

By CYRUS OMBATI

NAIROBI; KENYA: Detectives probing the Wednesday blaze that brought down the main terminal at Kenya’s biggest airport are not ruling out terrorism or arson, although they say it could have been an accident.

President Kenyatta chaired a meeting of the country’s top security organ to discuss the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) fire tragedy as it emerged investigators were pursuing all three theories.

On Thursday the probe took on an international feel as three FBI agents sent by the US embassy in Nairobi joined the investigating team a day after President Obama called President Kenyatta to offer his government’s support following the fire.

Officially, authorities say it is not yet clear what caused the fire that prompted the closure of the busiest airport in East and Central Africa for most of Wednesday.

Over 200 people, among them 60 Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) workers, have recorded statements as the probe intensifies.

Huge losses

Yesterday, President Kenyatta called a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the tragedy that has occasioned huge economic losses following the disruption to cargo and passenger flights.

Deputy President William Ruto, all heads of the country’s security agencies, and Cabinet Secretaries in charge of Security and Infrastructure attended the meeting at State House, Nairobi. Details of the meeting were scanty, but officials said the crisis at JKIA was extensively discussed and the President briefed on progress in investigations.

At JKIA, head of the ATPU Boniface Mwaniki led the probe as detectives searched for clues in the fire-damaged section of the airport. The FBI agents arrived carrying special equipment to back up their Kenyan counterparts with their expertise, in a joined bid to unearth the cause of the inferno.

The agents took away samples from the scene for further analysis and tests.

Investigators were also reviewing images on the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to examine events before and after the fire broke out, as part of their investigations. It was not immediately clear if the entire sequence of events was captured on the surveillance cameras.

Apart from the ATPU, officers from the Bomb Disposal Unit, Kenya Airports Police Unit, Nairobi County and CID headquarters were helping with the probe.

Personnel from the National Intelligence Service, Kenya Power Company personnel, the City Council of Nairobi Fire Department and investigators from insurance companies were also at the scene.

The detectives have taken over a bar at the airport and turned it into an interrogation room where witnesses are recording statements.

Officials said some of the staff said in their statements that they heard two explosions after smoke started billowing out.

The explosions, according to those who have been questioned, were not very powerful or loud, with suggestions and they may have been caused by air conditioners.

Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau and CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro confirmed the arrival of the FBI agents to assist in the probe.

“We wish to express our appreciation and gratitude for the support we have received from other governments around the world and our development partners,” said Kamau.

On Thursday, controversy raged over where the fire started as witness accounts contradicted the official position that the fire broke out atin the immigration area.

There were suggestions that the huge inferno may have been occasioned by naked electric wires left in one of the 56 shops pulled down by the Government as it ejected duty free shop operators last week.

Insiders and firemen who spoke to The Standard claimed the fire could have been triggered by an electric fault from one of the duty free shops.

“There were some cables that were left naked. The power was cut off in some of the shops and was left on in others. This is exactly what I told the investigation team when they grilled me this morning,” said one of the employees.

But the Government has maintained that the shops were 50 metres away. “The fire came from the immigration section after the bridges, the second desk after immigration which is nearest to unit 1. The duty free shops are more than 50 metres apart and I do not see any relationship between the demolitions and the fire,” Kamau said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, minimal operations resumed at JKIA with the Government indicating they expected full operations by midnight.

The State also opened up the excusive Presidential Pavilion, usually reserved for visiting heads of states, for use by travellers to help ease the crisis. Kamau indicated that full operations would resume at the airport from midnight on Thursday.

“We want to assure all travellers within the country that even though the level of comfort is not what they would expect, we want to reassure them of their security and safety,” he said. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that other international airlines can use JKIA under advice, added Kamau.

National carrier Kenya Airways had already lined up 17 international flights throughout Thursday to various capitals across the globe.