Britons told to avoid Kenyan tourist coast

Britons are being advised to avoid Kenyan coastal areas within 93 miles of the Somali border after a second armed gang attack in a month.

The Foreign Office issued its warning after a disabled French woman was kidnapped on Saturday from a beach resort in the Lamu archipelago, northern Kenya, by 10 armed Somali militants.

On 11 September, Briton David Tebbutt, 58, was killed and his wife Judith, 56, abducted by armed gunmen from a resort near the tourist town of Lamu.

In a statement, the FCO said: “We advise against all but essential travel to coastal areas within 150km of the Somali border, following two attacks by armed gangs in small boats against beach resorts in the Lamu area on 11 September and 1 October, 2011.

“This advice will be kept under review. Both attacks were on beach-front properties, with two Westerners kidnapped and one murdered.

“Beach-front accommodation in that area and boats off the coast are vulnerable.”

Authorities in Kenya have arrested a security guard in connection with the kidnapping of the Frenchwoman. Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “Clearly, we are worried about the situation there. There is the case of Mrs Tebbutt that we are trying to deal with as best we can. But now we are seeing possibly copycat kidnappings – that is very alarming.”