12 September, 2011

Kenyan police search for kidnapped Briton after husband killed

Kenyan police search for kidnapped Briton after husband killed

BBC
Police in Kenya are hunting a gang who killed a British man and kidnapped his wife at a resort in the country.

The couple were staying at the luxury Kiwayu Safari Village, north of Lamu Island, when the armed men attacked.

Kenyan police said the motive was unknown, but they were treating it as a "bandit attack".

The Foreign Office, which has not yet named the couple, called for the release of the woman, who is said to have been taken away by speedboat.

The website for Kiwayu Safari Village says it has "organic security protocols as well as a professional security structure which provides us with overarching security and safety 24 hours a day."

It adds: "Our relationship with the local community, its fishermen and the local authorities is positive and mutually beneficial. We regularly review our security and safety to ensure it is both comprehensive and current."'Easy entry'

Police commissioner Mathew Iteere said the couple had arrived at the resort on Saturday after visiting Kenya's Masai Mara reserve and were the resort's only guests, staying in a cottage.

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Iteere said: "They do not have doors, those cottages. They are using the cloth as the doors. So I think they gained entry so easily and it was only one shot.

"Maybe they wanted to take the two and he [the husband] resisted and that's why he was shot."

There was no evidence to suggest the attackers were from Somalia, nor that Islamist group al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaeda, was involved, he said.High alert

Kenyan officials said a police officer had seen six men taking away a woman in a speed boat.

The Foreign Office said it was working with Kenyan authorities to establish further details about the attack and had sent staff from the high commission in Nairobi to the area.

It continues to advise against all but essential travel to within 30km (18 miles) of Kenya's border with Somalia. There have been previous attacks by Somali militia into Kenya, it says.

Kenyan police said they had been on high alert in many areas of the country on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US.

Mr Iteere said reinforcements had been sent to the north-east and coastal provinces, including to provide more roadblocks. "We are going to continue [these measures], not just because of this incident, we had done it because of that anniversary of September 11."




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