SUSPECT ON THE RUN AFTER STABBING FOUR FOREIGN TOURISTS WITH A KNIFE
(Posted 30th May 2017)
Three foreign tourists were stabbed in a restaurant on Zanzibar’s main island of Unguja, by what local sources were quick to describe as an obviously deranged individual.
When fleeing the scene of the first attack the man then also stabbed a fourth foreign tourist but attacked two Zanzibaris too before disappearing into the crowds.
The victims in the restaurant were reportedly of German and French origin while the fourth foreign victim was said to be from Canada.
In the absence of an arrest, no motives can be named with any certainty but the rumour mill is already in full swing, given that the attack took place just after the start of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting in the Islamic annual lunar calendar. Suggestions have been made to this correspondent that the perpetrator may have been under the influence of drugs but that too is mere speculation at this time.
Radicals in Europe and other parts of the world have in recent months often carried out knife attacks with ISIS claiming ultimate responsibility and tourists visiting Zanzibar have therefore been cautioned already to be extra vigilant and in particular avoid offending locals by eating and drinking in public places during day hours as the local population observes their month long fast.
Police and other security organs are now hunting for the attacker who was reportedly identified but is still in hiding.
