British Woman Rescued in Malawi Police Shootout After Kidnapping

A British woman abducted in Malawi's southern city of Blantyre was rescued and reunited with her family after police killed four suspected kidnappers in a shootout, authorities said. Nusrat Osman, 47, originally from Leicester in the United Kingdom and reportedly working for an auditing firm in Malawi, was abducted around midday on September 11. She was found safe on September 18, a week after she was taken.

Police said the suspects who abducted Osman were armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol. During the operation to free her, officers exchanged gunfire with the four men, all of whom were killed. A senior Malawian police officer was wounded in the exchange and is in stable condition in hospital, according to police.

Authorities have not yet detailed a motive for the abduction or said whether additional suspects are being sought. Osman was reunited with her family following the rescue and was taken for medical evaluation. The case drew significant attention in both Malawi and the UK given the rarity of foreign nationals being targeted for kidnapping in the country.