Gunmen kidnap German nurse in Somalia capital

Armed men abducted a German nurse working for the International Committee of the Red Cross from a compound in Somalia's capital Mogadishu in what the government said today was believed to be an inside job.

The Red Cross said the attack happened around 8.00 PM local time (2230 IST) yesterday evening when unidentified armed men entered its compound, adding it was "in contact with various authorities to try and secure her release".

"We are deeply concerned about the safety of our colleague," said Daniel O'Malley, ICRC's deputy Somalia head.

"She is a nurse who was working every day to save lives and improve the health of some of Somalia's most vulnerable people." Red Cross staff in Somalia told AFP the gunmen appeared to have evaded the compound's security guards and snuck the nurse out through a back entrance into a waiting vehicle.

Security ministry spokesman Abdiaziz Ali Ibrahim said initial investigations showed "one of the security guards of the compound was involved in the kidnapping." "The security forces have tracked the kidnappers and founded an abandoned vehicle that was used in the kidnapping mission."