A High Court judge in Nairobi is expected to rule today on whether four Kenyan men charged with murder for their alleged roles in the al-Qaida car bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya can go free.

Kenyan and Israeli authorities were today working on reassembling hundreds of shattered fragments of the vehicle used in a suicide attack three days ago on a resort hotel frequented by Israeli tourists in which 16 people were killed.

A DEADLY shooting spree yesterday by a pair of Palestinian gunmen at a polling station in northern Israel, and twin attacks on Israeli tourists in faraway Kenya, marred a Likud Party leadership primary in which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was expected to defeat foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Passengers targeted in today’s failed missile attack on an Israeli airliner said they heard a loud boom just after takeoff, but were told by the crew it was a technical problem.

Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the two had died in the apparent suicide attack on the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel, but could not confirm other reports putting the death toll as high as eight.