The missiles used in last week´s terrorist attacks in Kenya came from the same shipment fired at U.S. aircraft in Saudi Arabia in May, U.S. officials said yesterday, feeding speculation al-Qaeda was behind the latest assault.

Four days after unknown terrorists blew up an Israeli-owned resort near Mombasa and fired heat-seeking missiles at a Tel Aviv-bound plane, there was mounting evidence of al-Qaeda involvement -- including a new claim of responsibility.

"The fighters of al-Qaeda return to the same place where the Crusader- Jewish coalition was hit four years ago," said the statement, an apparent reference to al-Qaeda´s August, 1998, bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

It urged Muslims to "turn the land into a hell under the feet" of Americans and Jews and to prevent U.S. forces from attacking Iraq. "Resist him with all means until he feels that no land will accept him," it said.

The statement, which was sent to at least one news outlet in the Persian Gulf, was signed by the "Political Office of Qaeda al-Jihad," although its authenticity could not be immediately confirmed.

Following last Thursday´s attacks in Kenya, a group calling itself the Army of Palestine faxed a statement to a Lebanese news outlet taking credit, but authorities have suspected all along that al-Qaeda or one of its regional affiliates was responsible.

A U.S. official said yesterday the serial numbers of the two SA-7 surface-to-air missile launchers recovered by investigators near Mombasa airport were close to those on SA-7s found outside Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia after what was believed to be an unsuccessful attempt by al-Qaeda to shoot down a U.S. aircraft.

The serial numbers were not sequential "but they are close to each other, leading one to believe that they might have come from a similar source," the official said. "They are close enough to each other to believe they are probably from the same general lot.

"It doesn´t necessarily take you to [the conclusion] that al-Qaeda must, therefore, be responsible for the Kenya thing. They could easily pass weapons off to other groups that they were supportive of," he said. "But it certainly adds to the perception that they may well be behind it."

Suicide bombers detonated powerful explosives at the Paradise Hotel on Nov. 28, killing 10 Kenyans, three Israeli tourists and the three bombers. At about the same time, two missiles were fired at an Israeli charter plane carrying 271 passengers but they skimmed over the wing.

Because of the targets and the high level of planning and co- ordination involved, experts have suggested it was the work of either al-Qaeda or one of its local branches, such as the Somali Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Unity of Islam). Kenyan police are holding four Somalis and six Pakistanis for questioning. (© Copyright 2002 National Post 12/04/02)