French Woman Kidnapped in Kenya

Kenyan officials said a French woman was kidnapped early Saturday morning from her home in that country and was taken to Somalia before they could rescue her. Marie Dedieu, a retired French journalist who uses a wheelchair, was reportedly kidnapped by a band of pirates from her home on Manda, an island in the Lamu archipelago that is frequented by many rich celebrities, and carried to a nearby boat. At least 10 gunmen reportedly burst into Dedieu’s home shouting, “Where is the foreigner?” and began shooting and then allegedly grabbing her and dragging her on the beach into one of their boats. The Kenyan Navy located the boat with Dedieu on board as it sped toward the Somali border, and although they said they were able to injure a few of the abductors, the boat still escaped into Somalia. There has been no word on Dedieu’s condition.