GAROWE, (insidesomalia.org) - Police authorities in the capital city of Somalia's self-governing State of Puntland foiled an attempted kidnapping of a United Nations aid worker on Saturday, Radio Garowe reported.

Three Somali gunmen driving a small car followed a vehicle transporting an aid worker with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as the vehicle drove towards the UNHCR compound in Garowe, the capital of Puntland.

A German aid worker whose name was shortened to Katherine was aboard the vehicle at the time, according to a Somali-speaking UNHCR official who did not want to be named.

But the driver of the UNHCR vehicle refused the gunmen's order to stop the car, resulting with the gunmen opening fire on the car.

Garowe police rushed to the scene as the two vehicles chased each other, witnesses said.

Police then exchanged gunfire with the would-be kidnappers, with the chase eventually ending when the gunmen jumped out of their car and ran into neighborhood alleys.

Both the Somali driver and the German aid worker for UNHCR were safe, although confirmed reports said several bullets had hit their vehicle.

Later Saturday, Garowe police successfully apprehended all three attackers after chasing them for a while, according to security sources.

Today's attempted kidnapping becomes the first time foreign aid workers have been targeted with bullets in the capital city of Puntland.

In recent months, the relatively calm region of Puntland has experienced an unprecedented rise in insecurity, including kidnappings, piracy and common crime.

Critics of the government of Puntland say members of the security forces have not been paid in months, a factor that has contributed to many police officers and soldiers deserting their posts.

Source: Garowe Online

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