Zanzibar acid attack: British teenagers were 'targeted' and had been attacked before

Two British victims of an acid attack in Zanzibar may have been targeted following two previous run-ins with locals, it has emerged.

Kirstie Trup (left) and Katie Gee were the targets of an acid attack by men riding a motorcycle on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar 

Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both aged 18, had argued with a local shopkeeper days before two men on a moped threw acid in their faces and Katie had separately been attacked for singing
during Ramadan.

Meanwhile Katie's mother expressed frustration in delays at getting the teenagers home.

Nicky Gee issued a plea to the authorities in Tanzania, where the country's president has visited the girls in hospital, to speed up the process of getting the 18-year-olds on a flight.

She said: "If you can help bring her back, please do."

The teenagers from north London were teaching at the St Monica nursery school, linked to the Catholic church, whilst volunteering for a charity called Art in Tanzania after finishing their A-levels.

Bashir Ismail, of Art in Tanzania, said they had argued with a nearby shop owner a few days ago when they went for groceries.

Mr Ismail said the two women, who were staying in Stone Town, were properly dressed when the attack happened as they were going for dinner at a beach restaurant.

"The two attackers passed by several white tourists in the area and threw acid after reaching closer to them which raises suspicion of aplanned attack," Mr Ismail said.

^{Miss Trup and Miss Gee pictured after the attack (Sky News)}

A friend said Katie, a former pupil at the £5,375 per term Francis Holland School in Sloane Square, Chelsea, had also been attacked two weeks ago.

Oli Cohen, 21, said: "Katie was attacked two weeks ago by a Muslim woman for singing during Ramadan.

"She was shocked as it just came from out of the blue - but she wasn't scared enough to come home she stayed out there to finish her trip and volunteering.

"It's a very difficult time for their friends and family and I just wish them well.

"Both are very nice girls who wouldn't hurt a fly."

The friends were in the final week of their trip on the island, a popular tourist destination famous for its white-sand beaches and spice plantations, when the attack happened in Stone Town, the island's capital, on Wednesday evening.

Two men on a moped drove past the pair and the pillion passenger threw the liquid at them before speeding off.

Speaking for the first time since the attack, Nicky Gee said: "I've spoken to my daughter - her whole face and body is burnt.

"It was an acid attack on two English girls. They were dressed appropriately - they just attacked two young girls.

"We can't get them home yet. If the Royal family were there I'm sure they would get them out."

Asked if she had any idea when her daughter would be flown home, Mrs Gee said: "Between the Foreign Office and the insurers I have no idea."

Mrs Gee was speaking from the home of the Trup family in Hampstead, north London, a short distance from her own home in East Finchley.

A family friend said: "We want the insurance company to stop counting the beans and just get them home - that's our main priority.

"Everyone's priority is to get these girls back. They haven't left the hospital yet.

"We are talking to the Foreign Office, trying to get the insurance company to move things along. We want them back so they can be treated in the UK."

Kirstie's father Marc Trup, a dentist and company director, said: "We're trying to get them back as soon as possible. We're trying to organise a medivac flight."

The teenagers both suffered injuries to their faces, chests and hands, and were transferred to a hospital on the Tanzanian mainland.

Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania's president, visited them at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and promised that their attackers would be found.

"It's a shameful attack that tarnishes the image of our country, I order security agents to speed up the investigations and arrest the suspects," he said.

^{A street in Stone Town, Zanzibar, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO (AFP/Getty Images)}

A doctor at the hospital who was part of the team that attended to the teenagers said that their injuries were "mild".

"We suspect that whatever the liquid was, it was not true acid, it may have been diluted," he said. "They have burns on their hands from wiping the liquid off. They have minor injuries on their chests and their necks. Considering it could have been very bad, what they have is quite mild.

"They were shocked, of course, but they are not feeling very bad."

The teenagers were on a trip organised by Kent-based i-to-i Travel. A spokesman for the company said: "They were flown to Dar es Salaam in mainland Tanzania for medical treatment and have now been released from hospital.

"All our efforts remain focused on ensuring they are supported whilst assisting them and their relatives with the arrangements for their return home.

"i-to-i Travel is working with the authorities in their investigations and continue to liaise closely with the British consulate in Tanzania.

"The motive for the incident is as yet not known and we will await the report from the local authorities in Zanzibar before any comment can be made.

"The female clients had been volunteer teachers on Zanzibar and were in the final week of their trip.

"The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us and our own investigation will be launched as soon as it is possible to do so and more information will be released as it becomes available."

"Police in Zanzibar have launched a manhunt, and we ask for public assistance in identifying the attackers," said Mkadam Khamis, the island's deputy police commissioner.

The attack on the women came at the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, and as people began to celebrate the Eid holiday.

"The motive for the attack on the volunteers aged 18 years, has not been established. Investigations are on until we apprehend the criminals," Mr Khamis said.

^(Alamy)

Zanzibar has long been a favoured holiday destination for foreign tourists, and there have rarely been tensions between the majority Muslim population and holidaymakers relaxing in bikinis on beaches or drinking in bars.

Recently however there have been a series of attacks targeting representatives of different religions.

These include an acid attack on a Muslim cleric in November, and the shooting dead of a Catholic priest in February. Another priest was shot and wounded in December.

The semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago lies 20 miles off the Tanzanian mainland.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of an incident and are providing consular assistance."

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 advice 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."

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