| ... and take him to a pirate haven? |
"Save the Children was assessing the feasibility of starting up a humanitarian program to help malnourished and sick children and their families in the area," the charity said in a statement. "We are extremely concerned about the welfare of those being held and urgently call upon whoever is holding them captive to release them unconditionally," it said.
Relatives of the Somali captive, Bashir Yusuf, said he had been set free by the gunmen. "Bashir confirmed to us he had been released. He told us he was on his way into town and that the armed men went with his foreign colleague," said family member Abdukadir Hassan.
Early reports said they had been taken to an area controlled by al Shabaab. Later, a pro-government Sunni militia said a smaller group known as Hizbul Islam was behind the kidnapping, possibly in cahoots with pirates, and that the Briton was being taken to the coastal pirate base of Haradheere.
"We have confirmed that about 15 armed Hizbul Islam fighters kidnapped the aid workers. They may be assisted by pirates," Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, the spokesman of Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, told Reuters by phone from Adado.