U.S. Embassies Remain on Constant Alert Nine Years After Africa Bombings

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August 07, 2007 1:52 PM

It was nine years ago today that two truck bombs killed 257 people at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Over the weekend, on the eve of the anniversary, the American al Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn renewed his threats against U.S. embassies overseas.

Despite the new rhetoric, the State Department said yesterday they have not changed their security posture based solely on the new video, but the department is on constant alert for threats against overseas facilities.

Photos: Nine Years Ago: Attack on U.S. Embassies

While al Qaeda has long made threats against U.S. facilities overseas, a former U.S. diplomatic official says analysts stew over every new video release looking for hidden messages. Even when they do not contain a hidden command to strike, the propaganda tapes can still inspire al Qaeda sympathizers.

"It's very worrisome that when a tape comes out, you could get an amateur that gets emotional and tries something at an embassy," said Greg Bujac, the former director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service.

"This serves as reminder that our embassy and consulate employees overseas are often on the front lines in the War on Terrorism," said Bujac. "The bucolic foreign service tours of the past are long gone."

Since the 1998 bombings, at least 12 other attempts have been made to strike U.S. diplomatic facilities overseas.

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In September 2006, terrorists nearly succeeded in driving a car bomb into the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria, one of the most heavily guarded embassies in the Middle East.

In December 2004, a team of terrorists launched an attack on the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite the fact that the consulate was at critical threat level, the terrorists were able to get in and take control of the compound in just over one minute's time. Within 30 minutes, they had taken down the American flag and taken four embassy employees and a guard hostage, all of whom would be killed. Three of the terrorists themselves were later killed and two captured when Saudi police finally entered the compound more than an hour after the attack began.

The U.S. government has spent billions to fortify American embassies: strengthened exterior walls, new vehicle barriers and gates designed to stop and tear apart large trucks loaded with explosives.

The U.S. has also tested and installed bulletproof and shatterproof glass able to resist prolonged assault. Most of the deaths in truck bombings have been caused when windows and walls blew out. The newest embassies are being given blastproof window curtains and reinforced walls.

But Bujac says the best way to secure an embassy is to move it further from a road or access point.

"“There is no substitute for distance," said Bujac. "If you can just get a vehicle close to the building, you can do great damage with minimal risk involved."

Bujac added, however, that the embassy still needs to be able to function as an administrative building, not a fortress, and allow people to come and go for meetings. The bottom line is "people need to feel safe if they come to visit the embassy."

In 2001, four men were sentenced to life for their roles in the African embassy bombings after being tried in a U.S. court. Osama bin Laden was also among those indicted for his role in plotting the bombings.

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