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Tuesday, May 29, 2012 8:45 AM UTC

FBI joins investigation into Kenyan bomb blast

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FBI joins investigation into Kenyan bomb blastClothes and shoes are scattered outside a shop after an explosion on a busy street in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, May 28, 2012. An explosion ripped through a building full of small shops in downtown Nairobi on Monday, wounding at least 16 people, the police commissioner said. He could not immediately say what caused the early morning blast that sent smoke billowing out of the building and over the city. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)(Credit: AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An official says FBI agents are assisting Kenyan officials in the investigation into a large explosion in downtown Nairobi.

An explosion ripped through a building full of small shops on Monday, injuring at least 33 people, including a woman who blamed the blast on a “bearded man” who left behind a bag shortly before the detonation.

A Kenyan official who said he could not be quoted confirmed the FBI’s involvement on Tuesday.

The intelligence firm IntelCenter said that militants from the al-Qaida-linked Somali group al-Shabab bragged about conducting interviews of survivors after the blast. IntelCenter said the development poses significant challenges to security forces and legitimate members of the media covering attacks.

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