• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Gang kills two Germans with machetes in Kenya resort

MOMBASA, Kenya
Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:21am EST

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A gang of youths hacked two Germans to death with machetes during an apparent robbery attempt in a private villa in Kenya's coastal resort of Diani late on Sunday, police said on Monday.

World

The wife of one of the dead, a German tourist who had arrived in Kenya on holiday a fortnight ago, was also injured in the attack and had been taken to hospital. The second victim was the German owner of the villa.

Police said the killings did not appear to be linked to violence which has rocked large parts of Kenya following the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki a month ago.

"This was organized crime. We are treating it as murder," local police chief Stanley Lamai said.

The gang of around eight youths forced themselves into the villa compound as a watchman opened the gate to allow the Germans in after they returned from dinner, police said. The youths escaped with a stolen camera and some money.

Around 800 people have been killed in ethnic fighting and clashes with the security forces around Kenya since the December 27 polls, violence which has battered the country's image as an east African tourism and trade hub.

(Reporting by Celestine Achieng; Editing by Nick Tattersall)



More from Reuters

A male polar bear cannabalizes a polar bear cub in an area about 300km (186 miles) north of the Canadian town of Churchill November 20, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Iain D. Williams

Polar bear turns cannibal

As the world focuses on climate change in Copenhagen, the animal that has come to represent global warming is turning cannibalistic as the Arctic ice melts their hunting grounds, a U.S.-led global scientific study said.  Slideshow | Full Article 

    Emmanuel Roy, a suspect in a mortgage-fraud scheme is escorted by FBI agents after being taken into custody in New York, October 15, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

    Sowing seeds of corruption

    Corruption, whether it's crooked officials, financial fraudsters or philandering sports stars, is the country's No. 1 criminal threat, says the FBI.  Full Article 

    Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida November 16, 2009. Atlantis lifted off its seaside launch pad on Monday, loaded with spare parts to keep the International Space Station flying after the shuttles are retired next year. REUTERS/Scott Audette

    Can Florida re-launch itself?

    The sunshine state's space program is a boon for local businesses, especially when a shuttle takes off. But what happens when the 29-year old program comes to a close next year?  Full Article