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Background on the Road to Hope follows this Facebook message received 11 November as I was sipping my first cup of coffee of the morning:AN AID worker has smuggled a desperate message to the Guardian after he and five other British citizens were kidnapped in Libya.
In a text sent this morning, Tauqir Sharif, of Warwick Road in Chingford, said the vessel bound for Gaza had been seized in the Libyan port of Derna at around 12.30am this morning UK time.
It is unclear who has taken the boat, although the seizure is believed to be linked to a financial dispute.
The boat was last seen sailing out to sea and is reportedly heading for Greece.
The Foreign Office says it has begun diplomacy to try and get the group returned unharmed.
Mr Sharif said: "We have been kidnapped at sea this isn't a joke.
"I'm hiding my phone to get word out"we've been hijacked."
The convoy set off several weeks ago as part of the "Road to Hope' campaign.
It has reportedly been at the Libyan border with Egypt for over two weeks awaiting entry to Gaza.
Six UK nationals including Mr Sharif are thought to be on-board, along with three Libyans including two port authority policemen and the manager of Derna Port, Colonel Salahuddin Rashin.
Two Irish citizens, a Moroccan and an Algerian are also said to be on board...
On 10 October 2010, at 8:50PM EST, JC left
this comment on my Facebook page in reference to one of those on board the Road to Hope who were hijacked at sea:
Ken O'Keefe JUST SPOKE WIT KEN. THE LYBIAN PORT POLICE ARE IN WIT CAPTAIN NOW
TELLING HIM TO TURN ROUND BUT HE IS REFUSEING THEY ARE NOT AT FULL SPEED
BUT THEY ARE ABOUT A MILE OUT TO SEA NOW KEN HAS ASKED TO KEEP THE
FINGER ON THE PULSE WIT THE MEDIA AND TANKS EVERYONE FOR THEIR HELP.
Background and this story as it unfolds first on Facebook here:
http://wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1887&Itemid=239
