Londoners Kate Gee and Kirstie Trup were in final week of trip
Frien
The victims, 18, hurt in late night attack where acid was thrown in their faces
ds claim they may have been targeted because they are Jewish
They landed at RAF Northolt today and were then taken to hospital
Medics at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are treating the pair for burns
Police issue a warrant for the arrest of Islamist preacher
Seven men - including a tour guide - have been detained in Stone Town, near where attacks took place
Police offer £4,000 reward for help catching attackers
Detectives reveal battery acid was used in the attack
A doctor at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital said that the girls are 'well'
The distraught mother of one of
the British girls burnt in an acid attack in Zanzibar has been reunited
with her daughter during an emotional meeting as they arrive at hospital
for treatment this afternoon.
Unable to hide her anguish, Nicky
Gee fought back tears as she watched daughter Katie and her friend
Kirstie Trup leave the back of an ambulance wrapped in protective
blankets.
The pair, both 18, arrived back in Britain after being medevaced to RAF Northolt.
They
were then taken to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for urgent
treatment to wounds, described as 'absolutely horrendous' and 'beyond
imagination' by Katie's father.
Torment: Katie Gee, pictured under a blanket,
and her friend Kirstie Trup arrive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
today for treatment on their wounds
Katie's
father, Jeremy Gee, told of the families' torment as the first picture
of the wounds sustained by one of the girls emerged.
He said: ‘The photographs I have seen are absolutely horrendous.
'The level of the burns are beyond imagination.'
Both
British teenagers suffered horrifying burns when acid was thrown in
their faces as they walked to a restaurant on the Muslim holiday island
of Zanzibar.
It was the third attack on them during their stay on the island.
'Beyond imagination': Katie Gee, left, suffered
horrific burns, which her father described as 'beyond imagination' from
the acid attack. Pictured right are the scars on one of the girl's face
and neck
Care: Katie Gee's mother Nicky, left, stands by
as her daughter and Kirstie Trup arrive at Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital today
A specialist at the hospital, Andy Williams, said that the girls are 'well and their families are with them'.
Police
have revealed that seven suspects - including a tour guide - were
detained on Thursday and in the early hours of this morning in
the capital Stone Town, where Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee were attacked, a senior officer told The Telegraph.
And
a £4,000 reward is now being offered by Zanzibar police for information
leading to the capture of attackers, according to the BBC.
Friends
suggested they could have been targeted because they are Jewish, and
local police said they wanted to speak to a radical Islamic preacher who
could have inspired the attack.
Police
have also issued a warrant for the arrest of Islamist preacher Sheikh
Issa Ponda Issa, amid suggestions his teaching could have inspired the
acid attacks.
'Horrendous': Katie Gee, seen cuddling a dog in a
picture from a social networking site, suffered 'horrendous' injuries
in the acid attack, her father said
A tour guide was among seven people being questioned by police in connection with the attack.
Five of the seven people, which also
included market traders, have now been released while two remain at
Zanzibar Police headquarters.
Regional police commissioner, Mkadam
Khamis, said: 'We have interrogated seven people, including a tour
guide, and traders who where close to scene.
'Unfortunately many are not providing
clear information about the incident to lead us to specific conclusions
yet. We need more time to continue with the investigation and more of
our investigators are out in the field.'
Covered up: Acid Attack victims Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee arrive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital under blankets
His team have also said they identified battery acid as the substance splashed on the victims.
The attackers have been described as two youths on a motorbike.
Commissioner
of police Mussa Ali Mussa said few locals had witnessed the event,
which took place in a narrow street as the teenagers made their way to
an Ethiopian restaurant.
He
said: 'There were at least six people, all foreigners, walking in pairs
but distanced from each other. The young British women were also
walking in a pair. It is still difficult to find eyewitnesses since the
group around them were tourists.'
The girls are currently receiving treatment at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after they were flown back to the UK.
In
a statement outside the hospital this evening, Mr Andy Williams,
consultant burns and plastic surgeon, said: 'We can confirm that Katie
and Kirstie have been transferred to our care at Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital's burns unit where we're still assessing their injuries.
'Both girls are well and their families are with them. They will be staying at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
'Both families would like to thank everyone that's helped to bring the girls back.
'The families now wish to have time with the girls and that the media would respect their privacy at this difficult time.'
Arriving in a black Audi at the air base this morning Katie's concerned mum Nicky opened spoke of the the families' ordeal.
Scarred: Kirstie Trup, left, and Katie Gee, both
18, of Hampstead, north London, have begun treatment for their burns in
the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Speaking as they were about to drive
into the base, she said: 'I am worried sick. It has been a terrible
ordeal for the families. I am just glad she is home. I want to get
inside and see her.
'We spoke this morning and she said she was ok. I don't know what's going on at all.
'I can't say anymore because we have to get in to see them both.'
Two
crews from St John's Ambulance arrived at the Middlesex military base,
which also handles private flights, at around 10am this morning.
A paramedic, who wouldn't give his name, confirmed the crews had come to pick up the teens.
He said: 'We are here to pick up the two girls.'
He refused to say if they were going home or straight to hospital.
The plane carrying British girls Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup arrives at RAF Northolt this afternoon
Nicky Gee, the mother of Katie (left) has
demanded that her daughter and friend Kirstie (pictured before leaving
for Zanzibar) are flown home immediately
Returning home: Kirstie Trup, pictured left
before the attack and wrapped in blankets, right, following the acid
attack on two British women in Zanzibar, Tanzania,
They
will now undergo extensive treatment for wounds sustained by the acid
which splashed on to the girls’ faces, chests, legs and backs.
'Doing well': Andy Williams, consultant burns
and plastic surgeon, speaks to the waiting media outside Chelsea and
Westminster Hospital in London where acid attack victims Kirstie Trup
and Katie Gee are receiving treatment
It is also thought they suffered burnt hands as they tried desperately to wipe the corrosive liquid away.
It is not yet known if either will suffer permanent disfigurement.
Miss
Trup’s father Marc, 51, a multi-millionaire dental surgeon and property
developer, said a passer-by had come to the girls’ assistance after the
attack and had called him.
‘He
tried to put me on to them… you couldn’t get anything out of them. I
couldn’t speak to them. Terrible, absolutely shocking,’ he said.
‘Kirstie was inconsolable. Both girls are very shocked and very frightened.’
Miss
Gee had told friends she was assaulted in the street by a Muslim woman
two weeks earlier, apparently for singing during Ramadan.
A
project worker said the teenagers – both from privileged backgrounds in
north London – were also involved in a heated argument with a
shopkeeper days before the acid attack in the capital, Stone Town, on
Wednesday night, the final night of Ramadan.
Witnesses described seeing two men on a moped drive past several other Western tourists before throwing acid at the girls.
Kirstie Trup, looked drained and scared as she arrived at hospital after the attack in Zanzibar
Katie Gee was comforted by a fellow traveller as she was driven to hospital in Tanzania
Arrests: Zanzibar Police have arrested five
suspects and taken them to this station for questioning in connection
with the acid attack on British women
The
girls were working as volunteer teachers at a Christian nursery school
and there were concerns they were attacked as part of escalating
religious tensions.
They were due to be flown back to the
UK on special medical evacuation flight last night to see specialist
surgeons today but when they arrived at Dar es Salaam airport, they
found their plane had broken down, forcing them to wait for a
replacement.
The teenagers were on a three-week trip to Zanzibar after taking their A-levels and had been due to fly home on Saturday.
The teenage volunteer appears to be in pain as she is taken to hospital alongside a male friend
Recovery: Kirstie Trup is due to return to her family home in north London to start her recovery from the acid attack
Television images filmed after the
attack showed one of them, obviously in pain, in the back of a car as
they were taken to Zanzibar’s airport to be flown to the mainland for
medical treatment.
Tanzania’s president Jakaya Kikwete
visited them in the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, a signal of the
shock caused by the attacks and of Tanzania’s determination to guard its
lucrative tourism industry.
Both had been told to be aware of
appropriate dress codes during Ramadan and were careful to avoid wearing
anything which would identify them as Jewish.
COME AND TEACH... AND GET A TAN TOO
On
its website, i-to-i Volunteering asks: ‘Looking to teach and get a
tan?’ A two-week stint teaching English in ‘sun-drenched’ Zanzibar will
cost from £669.
That does not include flights, which depending on when you book can cost up to £900.
Your
teaching commitment will range from four to eight hours a day, Monday
to Friday, so plenty of time to ‘explore the beautiful beaches of
Zanzibar’ and ‘taste the excitingly exotic island dishes’, some of the
highlights listed by i-to-i Volunteering, based in Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, in its literature.
Also
not included are the costs of travel insurance, visas, local transport
and return airport transfer. You must also pay for a police check when
applying.
Included
in the trip, which on a CV is likely to impress a future employer, is
accommodation in a shared room in a basic hostel, breakfast and a £15
budget for lunch and dinner, an airport pick-up on arrival, training in
the local customs and support from a pre-departure helpdesk.
Home: Kirstie Trup, 18, lives on this road in affluent Hampstead, north London
'Distressed': A family friend read a statement on behalf of the girls' families outside Miss Trup's Hampstead home
Mr Trup said they were targeted ‘for
no reason’, saying: ‘We know it’s a Muslim country. They weren’t dressed
inappropriately because they know the rules.’
Miss Gee’s mother Nicky, 45, said:
‘I’ve spoken to my daughter – her whole face and body is burned. They
were dressed appropriately, they just attacked two young girls.’
The teenagers live streets apart in north London and have been friends since early childhood.
Miss Trup,
whose mother Rochelle, 49, is a volunteer on the board of Jewish Women’s
Aid, attended the Jewish Free School, while Miss Gee was a pupil at
Francis Holland School in Chelsea.
Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup were flown to the Aga Khan Hospital in Tanzania (pictured) and have now been discharged
Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete visited the two women in hospital and called the attack 'shameful'
They are believed to have paid around
£700 each to i-to-i Volunteering to spend two weeks with the
educational charity Art in Tanzania. Both were teaching at the St Monica
nursery school, linked to the Anglican church, while working with the
charity.
School friend Oli Cohen, 21, said
Miss Gee had spoken about a previous attack. He said: ‘The girls were
walking through the town singing when a Muslim lady came up to Katie
shouting. She hit her in the face for singing.’
A spokesman for i-to-i Volunteering
said the attacks were ‘a freak accident’, adding: ‘All our efforts
remain focused on ensuring they are supported whilst assisting them and
their relatives with the arrangements for their return home. The safety
of our customers is of paramount importance.’
The
pair's mothers, Nicky Gee and Rochelle Trup, are said to be 'extremely
upset and distressed' over the attack on their daughters.
Family friend Doug Morris read a statement from the two mothers outside Kirstie's family home in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
He
said: 'Both families are extremely upset and distressed at this
completely unprovoked attack on their lovely daughters who went to
Zanzibar with good intentions.'
The women were attacked as they walked through the narrow streets of Stone Town, Zanzibar
Speaking
outside the Hampstead Garden Suburb mansion Kirstie lives in with her
dad Marc and mum Rochelle, another friend added: 'They are in the end
game now, it has been a bit fraught liaising with the insurance company
and consul.
'The number one priority is getting them back, I think they are pleased to be coming home.'
The girls were attacked as religious tension between Christians and Muslims on the paradise island continues to rise.
The semi-autonomous region of Tanzania
is predominantly Muslim and has been the scene of some religious
violence in recent years.
Last November a cleric was hospitalised in an acid attack and two Christian leaders were killed earlier this year.
Five churches were also torched last year.
Mkadam Khamis, a police commander on
the island, told the Associated Press the women were teaching at a
primary school affiliated with the Anglican Church.
Police refused to link the attack with the rising religious tensions.
Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete described the attacked as 'shameful' after visiting the girls in hospital.
The Foreign Office travel advice for
Tanzania warns that although most visits to the country are
trouble-free, 'violent and armed crime is increasing'.
The teenagers ran to the Tembo Hotel (pictured) after the attack by two men on mopeds
The advice, available on its website,
says: 'Mugging, bag snatching (especially from passing cars) and robbery
have increased throughout the country.'
It adds: 'In Zanzibar incidents have taken place in Stone Town and on popular tourist beaches.'
Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania's president,
is reported to have visited them at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es
Salaam and promised that the men responsible for the 'shameful' attack
would be found.
The pair were in the final week of their three week trip volunteering with the NGO Art in Tanzania.
Television images showed one girl obviously in pain in the back of a car at the Zanzibar airport.
They
were flown to hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and have since been
discharged and police say the women were lucky to escape serious burns.
A
spokesman for Art in Tanzania said representatives were at the
Aga Khan Hospital to help the girls, who were also being interviewed by
Foreign Office officials and again by police.
Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete visited the two women at the Aga Khan Hospital.
Police said it is the first acid attack on foreigners on the island and have launched a manhunt (file picture)
Zanzibar,
a paradise island around 22 miles off the coast of east Africa, and
part of the republic of Tanzania, attracts thousands of British tourists
a year.
Police on the island say it is the first time a tourist has been attacked in this way.
However, there have been concerns that religious tension in Zanzibar have increased in recent months.
Said Ali Mbarouk, Minister of
Information, said: 'We should cooperate with other government sectors to
ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.
'I beg our nationals in any way this
is not something they should be doing because tourism is the strong
pillar of our economy so if we do such acts we are killing our economy
and our livelihoods in general so it is not an honourable thing to do
it's a bad thing and it's supposed to be condemned by all citizens of
Zanzibar.'
The
police described the attack as 'an isolated incident', refusing to link
it to rising religious tension on the island between majority Muslims
and its Christian population.
Dr Mike Jennings, a lecturer at the
School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said Muslim group called Uamsho, which translates as 'The Awakening', was a
political rather than terrorist organisation and had no known links to
Al Qaeda.
He said they want an independent Zanzibar and to introduce Islamic law on the island.
Dr Jennings said: 'It is political with a religious tone. Some people see it is as terrorism, but I don't think it is.
'Maybe this group was behind the attack, although it is too early to say.'
The majority of islanders are Muslim, with Christians making up as little as five per cent of the population.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are aware of an incident and are providing consular assistance.'.
A PARADISE WHERE FANATICS SPOUT HATE
Attack: Two British women have been injured
after acid was thrown in their faces in an assault in Zanzibar, an
island in the Indian Ocean
BY VANESSA ALLEN
Lured by photographs depicting a tropical paradise isle, thousands of British tourists flock to Zanzibar each year.
But
beyond the brochure pictures of turquoise waters and white sand beaches
fringed by palm trees, escalating religious tensions have threatened to
sour the island’s idyllic image.
While
tourists relax on its beaches and luxury resorts, life for the
islanders is overshadowed by widespread poverty, soaring unemployment
and a heroin epidemic.
Against
that backdrop, hardline Muslim extremists preach a message of hate and
resentment against the tourists who support Zanzibar’s biggest industry.
Radical preachers rail against the sale of alcohol in tourist bars and female visitors who wear Western clothing.
Two weeks after she arrived on Zanzibar, Katie Gee had already experienced the more menacing side of life on the spice island.
In a Twitter message to friends, she wrote: ‘A Muslim woman just hit me in the street for singing on Ramadan. Is that normal.’
Police
insist the acid attack against the British teenagers was the first of
its kind on the island, but there is no dispute that recent years have
seen an upsurge in violence. There have also been a number of
politically motivated acid attacks, although none have been against
tourists.
Two years ago, youths hurled petrol bombs into at least three bars in protest at the sale of alcohol.
In May 2012, a violent mob set fire to the 500-seater Assemblies of God Church in Stone Town, the island’s capital.
Seven months later a Catholic priest was shot and wounded and in February this year another priest was shot dead.
Christians,
who form three per cent of Zanzibar’s 1.2million predominantly Muslim
population, spoke of ‘living in fear’ on the Indian Ocean island, which
was once famed for religious tolerance.
He
was in Zanzibar earlier this month, and last year was arrested for
stoking religious hatred. Police do not believe he was directly
responsible for the acid attacks.
In some mosques, imams have been heard to praise the ‘freedom fighters’ of al-Shabaab, the militant Islamists in Somalia.
The Foreign Office has warned that violent and armed crime has increased.
In
2009 Irish aid worker Robert Stringer, 26, was found dead on a beach at
a holiday resort on the north coast, seemingly killed for his phone and
the small amount of cash in his wallet. And in 2004 Scottish
conservation volunteers Grace Forster, 18, from Whittlesey,
Cambridgeshire, and Rob Scott, from Bristol, were shot when pirates
ambushed their camp on the nearby island of Pemba.
Some women in the group were sexually assaulted and others struck with gun butts.
Sexual
assaults and threats against Western women are also believed to have
increased in recent years, although officials warn the majority of
tourists do not report such incidents to the police.
The
Foreign Office advice warns travellers to avoid political protests in
Zanzibar, saying they have turned violent and sometimes resulted in
deaths. It also warns about an increase in muggings, bag-snatching and
robbery, particularly in Stone Town and popular beach resorts.
Zanzibar,
22 miles of the coast of Tanzania, was used by slave traders throughout
the 18th and 19th centuries and Stone Town houses many reminders of the
island’s past.
It is also famed for its spice plantations, and as the birthplace of Queen singer Freddie Mercury.
Previously
part of the Portuguese empire, it fell under the control of the
Sultanate of Oman until it was declared a British protectorate in 1890,
as part of Britain’s drive to abolish slavery. It gained independence in
1963 and is now a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, with its own
government.
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