Kenyan Resort Attack: UK Calls for Release of Kidnapped Woman
British couple David and Judith Tebbutt were attacked Saturday night while staying at Kiwayu Safari Village, a luxurious Kenyan beach resort on Kiwayu Island.
Kenyan Police Commissioner, Matthew Iteere, believes Mr. Tebbutt resisted the attackers, resulting in a single gunshot that killed him. The attackers then presumably kidnapped his missing wife, Judith.
The UK is calling for the immediate release of Mrs. Tebbutt, although no communication has been made between the UK and the kidnappers.
The couple were the only guests at the resort at the time of the attack.
The attackers are believed to be members of the al-Shabab militant group, an Islamist insurgency group in Somalia.
The resort was guarded by six policeman and 22 guards, yet hotel bungalows do not have doors, allowing attackers to slip into rooms undetected.
The resort attack calls into question safety while vacationing in Kenya. The Kiwayu Safari Village rents beachfront bungalows for 1,250 shilling a night and is called perfection and paradise by users rating the resort four and half stars on TripAdvisor.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected family, currently reads Kiwayu Web site, which is unavailable due to the events.
Kenya's tourism board rushed to reassure travelers of the safety of travel in Kenya.
The Ministry of Tourism is working together with the relevant security organizations to ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice. A team of security personnel are already on the ground and a massive manhunt of the perpetrators of this heinous act has been launched, the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism said in a statement.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK repeated their warnings to tourists visiting within 30km of the Kenya-Somalia border. In July of 2009, three aid workers were kidnapped, as well as two nuns in November of 2008 near the Kenya-Somalia border.
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