Kenyan isolated seaside
David and Judith Tebbutt were on holiday at the exclusive Kiwayu Safari Village, close to the border with Somalia, when they were attacked early on Sunday morning. Kenyan police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in the incident.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said a small team are now in Kenya assisting and supporting the Kenyan authorities who "remain the lead investigators".
District Commissioner Stephen Ikua is quoted by The Times as saying a local man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of helping co-ordinate the attack.
Concerns are growing for Mrs Tebbutt, 56, who is said to rely on a double hearing aid. Officials said the Tebbutts, who have a 25-year-old son, were attacked on the first night of their stay at the resort, with reports suggesting bandits broke into their accommodation.
David Tebbutt has been described as a 'lovely' and 'caring' man
The couple had come from visiting the Masai Mara reserve and were the resort's only guests.
Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said the bandits could gain access to the couple's accommodation, which had a piece of cloth as a door, "so easily". He told a press conference it was possible that Mr Tebbutt had "resisted", which may have been why he was shot.
Mr Tebbutt, 58, from Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, worked for publisher Faber & Faber and was a member of the Book Trade Charity, which offers support and grants to those in the book trade.
Chief executive David Hicks, who met him more than 10 years ago, said the best way to describe Mr Tebbutt was "all the dedicated words you want".
"He was a lovely chap, he was on the grants committee. He was a very caring person and very concerned about the people that we were supporting financially."
He said he knew Mr Tebbutt, who was also a member of literary dinner club the Society of Bookmen, had lived and worked in Africa previously, although he did not know the details.
The Foreign Office said a team has been deployed to the area from the High Commission in Nairobi and was "offering all possible support to the family of those involved".
A spokesman said: "We are working to secure the safe and swift release of the British national who has been kidnapped and ask those involved to show compassion and release the individual immediately."
The Kiwayu Safari Village is near the border with Somalia
It warned against "all but essential travel to within 30km of Kenya's border with Somalia".
Its website says: "There have been previous attacks by Somali militia into Kenya. Three aid workers were kidnapped in July 2009, and two western nuns in November 2008."
It also warns against piracy, referring to the kidnapping of two British nationals in October 2009 as they sailed from the Seychelles to Tanzania in notoriously dangerous waters.
Retired couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, spent 388 days in captivity until they were released last November after a ransom of up to £620,000 was paid.
The Foreign Office website warns: "If you visit Lamu Island, do so by air if possible. This is for security reasons and also because of the bad road conditions.
"Buses and other vehicles on the road to Lamu have been attacked by armed robbers in the past and overland travel from Lamu to Malindi should only be undertaken in an armed police convoy."
The Kiwayu resort's website had stated it takes "security and safety very seriously".
The website has now been taken down and replaced with the statement: "Sorry our website is unavailable due to the tragic events.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected family. Thank you for your understanding."
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