1998 US Embassies in Africa Bombings Fast Facts

CNN Library

Updated 1328 GMT (2128 HKT) August 3, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Abu Anas al Libi, a key al Qaeda operative wanted for his role in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, has been captured in a U.S. special operations forces raid in Tripoli, Libya, U.S. officials told CNN on Saturday, October 5.

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – Abu Anas al Libi, a key al Qaeda operative wanted for his role in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, has been captured in a U.S. special operations forces raid in Tripoli, Libya, U.S. officials told CNN on Saturday, October 5.

Hide Caption

1 of 6

The blast on August 7, 1998 at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killed more than 200 people. Kenyan security guards keep watch on August 8, 1998, at the scene of explosion.

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – The blast on August 7, 1998 at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, killed more than 200 people. Kenyan security guards keep watch on August 8, 1998, at the scene of explosion.

Hide Caption

2 of 6

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – A guard looks over the site of the bomb blast on August 8, 1998, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Hide Caption

3 of 6

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – Rescuers help move survivors from the explosion site in Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998.

Hide Caption

4 of 6

The Tanzania blast went off nearly simultaneously, to the one in Kenya on August 7, 1998, leaving 11 people dead. Here, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks with a member of the FBI at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam on August 18, 1998. Visible in the background is the tanker that was used to create the explosion.

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – The Tanzania blast went off nearly simultaneously, to the one in Kenya on August 7, 1998, leaving 11 people dead. Here, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talks with a member of the FBI at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam on August 18, 1998. Visible in the background is the tanker that was used to create the explosion.

Hide Caption

5 of 6

A U.S. Marine talks with an FBI investigator in front of the bomb-damaged U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 15, 1998.

Photos: Photos: 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings

1998 U.S. Embassy bombings – A U.S. Marine talks with an FBI investigator in front of the bomb-damaged U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 15, 1998.

Hide Caption

6 of 6

(CNN)Here's a look at the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania which killed 224 people. Terrorist group al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Facts:
The bombings took place eight years to the day after US troops were ordered to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden considered the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia, home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, a grave offense.

More than 20 people have been indicted in the United States for the bombings. Eight are currently serving prison terms.

Timeline:
August 7, 1998 - Almost simultaneously, bombs explode at US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people. More than 5,000 are wounded. Twelve of those killed in Kenya are US citizens