Kenya Releases Mechanic Held in Embassy Bombing

A mechanic arrested last week in connection with last year’s bombing of the U.S. Embassy here has been released without charge, the man’s lawyer said Monday.

Ali Mohfoudh Salim was released late Saturday from a police station in Mombasa, the attorney said.

After claims of torture and unlawful detention, a Kenyan high court had ordered Friday that Salim be released or brought before a court as soon as possible. The court also ordered the Immigration Department not to allow Salim to be taken out of the country for further questioning about the Aug. 7 blast.

Taib Ali Taib, Salim’s lawyer, said his client had been harassed and physically abused, and his passport confiscated by security agents.

“He was beaten, he was kicked, he was told he was going to be extradited,” said Taib, adding that Salim needs a checkup to determine the extent of his injuries.

Taib said Salim was arrested Thursday by FBI agents and Kenyan police, held incommunicado for three days and denied a phone call and legal representation. The FBI has permission from Kenya to conduct an investigation on its soil.

A federal law enforcement official in the United States, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cast doubt on whether the U.S. was involved in Salim’s detention or was trying to extradite him.

“My information is there hadn’t been any attempt to get him to the United States,” the official said.

The court was told last week that U.S. agents suspected the mechanic’s garage could have been used to build the vehicle that transported the bomb to Nairobi. The blast killed 213 people and injured more than 5,000. A near-simultaneous explosion at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania killed 11.

Two suspects have been extradited to the United States in connection with the Nairobi bombing.

“He’s not been charged with any crime in the United States,” said Jim Margolin, spokesman for the FBI’s New York office, which is investigating the bombings.

“If he were in U.S. custody, that would be a matter of public record,” Margolin said. “I hesitate to say categorically that he’s not a subject. I can’t tell you categorically that this person or any person is not being looked at.”