Use al Qaeda’s frozen assets to pay blast victims, US court urged

• Legal battle seeks compensation for those injured or killed in 1998 attack.
• A preliminary hearing on how to calculate the damages could take place later this year.
• Past attempts to push for compensation through the courts and other arms of the US government have failed.

In regard to the current attempt to gain access to al Qaeda’s frozen assets, Mr Musolino said he would try to arrange testimonies by Kenyans through a video link to the federal court in Washington that is considering the case.

“Difficult questions” must also be resolved on whether to apply American or Kenyan law in calculating potential compensation, Mr Musolino said.

“The attack took place in Kenya but on what is thought of as American territory,” he said.

“Kenya’s statutes pertaining to wrongful death “are not quite as broad as American law,” the lawyer said.

A 2006 “Terrorist Assets Report” by the US Treasury Department cites $7.7 million in “blocked funds” linked to al Qaeda.

“That’s the money we’re looking at for getting back to our clients,” Mr Musolino told the Nation.

Little is publicly known about the sources of the funds frozen by the US government. The information cannot be accessed under the US Freedom of Information Act or by lawsuits.

For other stories and special reports on the August 7th blast, go to the Indepth page.