British man killed, wife kidnapped by Islamist extremists

The
attack took place overnight Saturday at a tourist lodge in the Kiunga marine
reserve on the Lamu archipelago off Kenya’s northern coast, a Kenyan police
official said.

He
said officers had launched a massive manhunt for the abductors, using speedboats
and helicopters, and police suspected the attackers were Shebab extremists from
Somalia.

“We
have launched a massive security operation but we are experiencing difficulties
because they might have escaped using a speedboat,” said the official who
declined to give his name.

“We
suspect it involves the Shebab.”

A
spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office said that “two British citizens were
attacked at a beach resort north of Lamu near the Kenya, Somalia border. One was
killed and another was kidnapped.”

A
British government source confirmed it was a man who was killed and his wife
abducted.

Kenyan
police chief Mathew Iteere said the couple, who had arrived at the resort during
the day Saturday, were attacked in their room around midnight.

They
were the resort’s only guests at the time.

“There
was only one shot, I think the husband resisted from what we gather — maybe they
wanted to take the two, but he resisted,” said Iteere.

The
complex had been well protected by six police and 22 private guards, he said,
yet the cottages “do not even have a door — just cloth as the door — so they
gained entry so easily.”

The
police chief declined to speculate on who was responsible, saying: “I think
today is a special day because it is the anniversary of September 11 … but we
are treating it as a bandit attack.”

The
Foreign Office said British officials were investigating the case alongside
their Kenyan counterparts.

“We
are working to secure the safe and swift release of the British national who has
been kidnapped and ask those involved to show compassion and release the
individual immediately,” it said.

The
Lamu island chain and the surrounding area is one of Kenya’s top luxury holiday
destinations, despite being close to the border with war-torn Somalia.

Most
of southern Somalia is controlled by the Shebab, who are waging an insurgency
against Somalia’s fragile, Western-backed government.

Security
sources in southern Somalia said the Shebab had launched attacks on government
bases in the town of Elwak close to the Kenyan border and that fierce fighting
was under way Sunday.

Pirates
also operate in the waters off Somalia, frequently seizing crew from merchant
ships and pleasure craft although tourist resorts have not previously been
targeted.

Advice
posted on the Foreign Office website advised Britons against going within 30
miles (50 kilometres) of the Kenya-Somalia border.

It
states: “There have been previous attacks by Somali militia into Kenya.

“Three
aid workers were kidnapped in July 2009, and two Western nuns in November
2008.”

Despite
the dangers, the region is a favourite with tourists and has been frequented by
celebrities.

British
artist Tracey Emin visited the area, and wrote of it in the Times newspaper in
2008: “There’s a tiny little spot in Kenya called Kiwayu, near the Somalian
border, which has to be one of my favourite places on earth.

“It’s
so tranquil.”

Kenya
attracts large numbers of tourists with its beautiful beaches and safaris.
Tourist arrivals hit a record 1.1 million in 2010, according to Tourism Minister
Najib Balala.

Nevertheless,
northern Kenya is insecure due to its proximity to Somalia, endemic poverty, a
lack of infrastructure and small numbers of police which are unable to keep
watch over a huge area.

Vanguard