Briton shot dead, another kidnapped in Lamu

By Cyrus Ombati

A British tourist was shot dead and his wife kidnapped in an attack at their cottage in Kiunga, Lamu district.

The victim was with his wife on Sunday at dawn in their cottage when they were attacked, police said.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the attackers wanted to kidnap the two but the man resisted prompting the fatal shooting.

The gangsters took the woman and escaped towards Somalia's Kismayu territory which is under the control of terror group Al-Shabaab.

The incident sparked a major operation along the Kenyan-Somalia border with police mounting a search both on land and using choppers.

It is not clear if the incident is linked to Sunday's marking of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The woman had not been rescued by Sunday evening but police were optimistic they would get her.

"The attackers are still holding the woman and the search is ongoing," said Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli while on board a police chopper patrol the boarder.

Adoli said the couple were tourists on holiday in Lamu and dismissed claims that the attackers could be terrorists.

He said no demands had been made towards the family of the victim or Kenyan government.

Al-shabaab is classified as a terror group because of its link with Alqaeda.

The kidnapping coincides with the marking of the 9/11 attacks and security has been tight following warnings of a possible attack.

In Nairobi, anti-terror police said they were on alert following reports of a possible attack.

"We are vigilant to ensure we are safe. Security measures have been taken to ensure safety of the country at large," said a senior officer familiar with the operations.

The CIA received a warning last week that al-Qaeda may have sent attackers, some of them possibly US citizens, to bomb one of the cities.

The warning was described by officials as "credible but unconfirmed".