Kenyan charged in connection with attack on British tourists

Kenyan charged in connection with attack on British tourists

2011-09-20 12:56:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

NAIROBI (BNO NEWS) -- A Kenyan man has been charged in connection with the murder of a British tourist and the kidnapping of his wife in the African country earlier this month, according to media reports.

David Tebbutt, 58, was shot dead and his 56-year-old wife Judith was abducted by an armed gang while at the Kiwayu Safari Village resort north of Lamu, near the Kenya-Somalia border, last week. Ali Babitu Kololo, who used to work at the hotel, has been charged with kidnapping and robbery with violence.

Sky News reported that Kololo has denied the accusations and claimed that he was forced at gunpoint to lead the gang to the resort and was not a willing accomplice. Another man, Issa Sheck Saadi, is expected to appear in court later.

Meanwhile, British officials are working to secure Mrs. Tebbutt's safe release. She is now believed to be held in Somalia and reports say she is refusing food to defy her captors, Sky News reported.

The attack happened on the couple's first night at the holiday resort. Kenyan officials previously said a policeman saw six men taking away a woman in a boat, but decided not to shoot in case he hit her.

Following the attack, the British Foreign Office urged travelers not to venture within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the Kenya-Somalia border because of previous attacks by Somali militia into Kenya. In July 2009, three aid workers were kidnapped, and two Western nuns in November 2008.

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