Armed thieves rob Australian tourists

Last Update: Saturday, October 7, 2006. 6:35am (AEST)

Thieves armed with assault rifles have robbed an Australian family at gun-point on a safari in Kenya, in the latest in a series of attacks on foreign tourists in the east African nation.

Police say the bandits forced Rhys Bennt and his wife and son out of their tourist van near Mount Kenya, about 170 kilometres north of Nairobi, after cutting them off with a truck.

"Three men armed with AK-47 rifles jumped out of a lorry and at gun-point forced the tourists out of the car and ordered them to lie on the ground where they robbed them," Rift Valley police commander Everette Wasike said.

He says the Bennts have been robbed of jewellery, a camera and nearly $A4,000 cash but were not injured in the incident.

The robbery comes nearly two weeks after bandits wielding AK-47s raided a luxury safari camp near Kenya's famed Maasai Mara game reserve, stealing cash and passports from British and US tourists staying there.

- AFP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1757696.htm