This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46286185
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Gunmen in Kenya abduct Italian aid worker | Gunmen in Kenya abduct Italian aid worker |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A group of unidentified gunmen have abducted an Italian woman working for an aid organisation in south-east Kenya, police said on Wednesday. | A group of unidentified gunmen have abducted an Italian woman working for an aid organisation in south-east Kenya, police said on Wednesday. |
| The men, reportedly armed with rifles, "fired indiscriminately" before taking the 23-year-old volunteer from a trading centre in Kilifi County. | The men, reportedly armed with rifles, "fired indiscriminately" before taking the 23-year-old volunteer from a trading centre in Kilifi County. |
| Five people, including three children, were wounded and taken to hospital. | Five people, including three children, were wounded and taken to hospital. |
| The reason for the attack and the identity of the attackers has not yet been established, police said. | The reason for the attack and the identity of the attackers has not yet been established, police said. |
| The organisation she was working for, Africa Milele Onlus, has posted a short statement on its website saying: "There are no words to comment on what is happening. Silvia, we are all with you." | |
| Kenyan police say they were treating the incident, which occurred at about 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Tuesday, as a terror attack. | |
| This is the first foreigner to be kidnapped in Kenya since the country had a spate of abductions threaten its tourism resurgence in 2011. | This is the first foreigner to be kidnapped in Kenya since the country had a spate of abductions threaten its tourism resurgence in 2011. |
| "The European lady got out of her room, instead of lying on the ground, to enquire what was going on," an eye-witness told local media. "One of the attackers then slapped her." | "The European lady got out of her room, instead of lying on the ground, to enquire what was going on," an eye-witness told local media. "One of the attackers then slapped her." |
| Police described the five injured as aged between 10 and 23 years of age - the youngest suffering a bullet in the eye. | Police described the five injured as aged between 10 and 23 years of age - the youngest suffering a bullet in the eye. |
| A witness told news agency Reuters that the attackers spoke in Somali. | A witness told news agency Reuters that the attackers spoke in Somali. |
| The Italian foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was aware of the reports of the abduction and it was looking into the situation. | |
| Police have not confirmed any links to Islamist militants from al-Shabab, who are blamed for several deadly attacks on Kenyan soldiers in recent months in Lamu County, north of Kilifi. | |
| Al-Shabab, who are based in neighbouring Somalia, attacked a shopping mall in the capital Nairobi in 2013, killing 67 people. | |
| The al Qaeda-linked group are also thought to be responsible for killing a British man and kidnapping his wife from a resort island in 2011. | The al Qaeda-linked group are also thought to be responsible for killing a British man and kidnapping his wife from a resort island in 2011. |
| A few weeks later, a disabled French woman was taken from her home on the Lamu archipelago and reportedly died while in captivity. | A few weeks later, a disabled French woman was taken from her home on the Lamu archipelago and reportedly died while in captivity. |
| Two Spanish aid workers were then also abducted by suspected jihadist gunmen from the Dadaab refugee camp close to the Somali border. | Two Spanish aid workers were then also abducted by suspected jihadist gunmen from the Dadaab refugee camp close to the Somali border. |