London - A British man who claimed to be heading on vacation to a
rebel-held town in Somalia has been arrested in the country's capital on
suspicion of links to a terrorist group, officials said on Wednesday.
Paddy
Ankunda, a spokesperson in Somalia for the African Union military
force, named the arrested man as Clive Denis Everton, born in 1966.
Everton was detained by Somali police at Mogadishu airport after travelling from Britain via Kenya.
Ankunda
said police had discovered suspicious items in his luggage, including
30 CDs, but did not give any further explanation. He said that Everton
had planned to travel to Kismayo, a rebel-held port town in southern
Somalia.
In an interview broadcast on Somalia's RBC TV, Everton
said he had hoped to travel overland to Kismayo from Mombasa, Kenya, but
had been unable to carry out the trip.
"I just wanted somewhere peaceful, sunny ... nice," Everton said, insisting his trip was intended for recreation.
Britain's
foreign ministry in London said it was investigating reports that a
British passport holder had been arrested on suspicion of possible
connections to terrorism.
Diplomats have recently warned that
dozens of British and American citizens, including some with no family
ties to Somalia, are travelling to the country to fight alongside al-shabaab militants.
Britain's Royal United Services Institute, a miltiary think tank,
estimates about 200 foreigners are active in the country.
British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that Somalia's al-Qaeda linked militant group al-Shabaab
could export terrorism to Europe and the United States, with dozens of
British and American citizens travelling to Somalia to train and fight
with the Islamists.
- AP