By Standard Team and Reuters
Norway's embassy in Nairobi and two Kenyan media organisations have received emails threatening attacks, the Norwegian ambassador and one of the media groups said on Wednesday.
Two bomb attacks in the last 12 years have killed 240 people in Kenya. Both were blamed on al Qaeda.
"Yes it is true we have received an email with some threats," said Elisabeth Jacobson, Norwegian ambassador to Nairobi. "Of course it's a reason for concern and we have informed the Kenyan police," she said.
The email, seen by Reuters, said Norway had backed what it said was a Kenyan bid to claim waters of the coast of neighbouring Somalia for oil exploration and that Kenya had detained Somali "mujahideen".
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"(Kenya) became the enemy of Islam ... and must (be) ready (for) Alqaeda attacks and revenge any time," the message said.
Jacobson declined further comment on the threats.
In a separate email, the Standard Group and Nation Media Group were also told they would be targeted for being "the enemy of Islam".
Kenya is under heightened alert of attacks as new fighting rages in Somalia between hardline and moderate Islamists.
Western states fear the country, which has been mired in civil war for 18 years, could become a haven for militants linked to al Qaeda.
Kenya has agreed with several countries whose navies are patrolling the Somali coast to take in Somalis arrested at sea on suspicion of trying to hijack ships.
An al Qaeda truck bomb killed at least 225 people at the US Embassy in Nairobi on August 7, 1998.
Four years later, suicide bombers struck again, killing 15 people at the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel resort near Mombasa on Kenya's coast on November 28, 2002.
At almost the same time, attackers tried to shoot down an Israeli jetliner as it left Mombasa airport, but both missiles missed their target.
Operations at the Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi were suspended for the better part of Wednesday following the threat.
The group, calling itself ‘Worrier Brave’, sent an e-mail to the embassy offices at Lion’s Place in Westlands, Nairobi, threatening an attack.
The building was evacuated for hours as police searched it. The e-mail accused the embassy of backing Kenya to annex the Somalia coast for oil prospecting.
But police headquarters dismissed the threat adding that officers were tracking the e-mail source. Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe said officers from the anti-terror unit were investigating the matter.
"They have found no substance in the threat. The claims are unfounded and we are looking for the source of the e-mail," Mr Kiraithe said.
Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua said the counter terrorism centre is analysing the message as part of investigations to authenticate it. He termed the threat alarmist and uncalled for.
