British tourist is held in Somalia

A BRITISH man who claimed to be heading on holiday to a rebel-held town in Somalia has been arrested in the country’s capital on suspicion of links to a terrorist group.

A spokesman for the African Union military force in the country named him as 45-year-old Clive Denis Everton. He was detained by police at Mogadishu airport after travelling from Britain via Kenya.

The spokesman said police had discovered suspicious items in his luggage, including 30 CDs, but did not give any further explanation. He said that Mr Everton had planned to travel to Kismayo, a rebel-held port town in southern Somalia.

In an interview on Somalia’s RBC TV, Mr Everton said he had hoped to travel overland to Kismayo from Mombasa, Kenya, but had been unable to carry out the trip.