NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Western official says suspected Somali pirates have kidnapped a French woman from an exclusive resort island in northern Kenya, near the Somali border.
If confirmed, it would be the second such attack near the popular tourist town of Lamu in a month. In early September, pirates shot dead a British man and kidnapped his wife from a resort near Lamu.
The Western official said the French woman was kidnapped off Manda Island early Saturday, just across the channel from Lamu. The official, who is in Kenya, spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authorization to speak on the record.
Lamu resident Muhidin Athman says people near the scene of the kidnapping heard gunshots around 3 a.m. Athman said the French woman owns a house on the island and lives there half the year.
