A radical Muslim preacher wanted in connection with an acid attack on two British teenagers in Zanzibar has been shot by police, it was reported.
Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa was hit in the shoulder with a tear gas canister as he tried to escape from officers after being cornered near Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam, The Sunday Mirror said.
Ponda Issa is accused of inspiring the attack on Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18, while they volunteered in Zanzibar.
The pair continue to be treated in hospital today and are said to be 'well rested and comfortable'.
The women were admitted to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on Friday where they are receiving treatment for burns inflicted in an unprovoked attack while they were on a volunteering holiday on the island, off the coast of Tanzania.
Family members of both teenagers are keeping a bedside vigil, after they were flown home and immediately sent to the capital's regional burns centre.
A hospital spokesman confirmed the pair, from north London, continue to be treated by medics. Their conditions are described as 'stable'.
He said: 'The patients are well rested and comfortable at the hospital. They have been with their families all day.
'Doctors are continuing to assess treatment options for both patients.'
Leading surgeon Dr Mohammed Jawad, who treated model Katie Piper after she had acid thrown at her, said the two teenage volunteers would need skin grafts after seeing a picture of the injuries.
He told The Sun: 'These are deep burns. They'll end up having surgery, no question about it.'
Yesterday, police said they had questioned at least five men in Zanzibar about the attack but no one was arrested.
Sheikh Ponda arrived on Zanzibar a week ago amid claims that he was attempting to rouse support for anti-government demonstrations.
He wants Islamic law imposed on the island, where the majority of people are Muslim.
Sheikh Ponda was arrested in October last year following escalating religious tensions in the country.
Police in Dar es Salaam said Sheikh Ponda, who is the head of the Council of Imams, was arrested for inciting religious hatred and organising illegal demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Tory MP Bill Cash, who sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tanzania, has urged the Foreign Office to further upgrade its travel warning for tourists visiting both Zanzibar and Tanzania because it was 'more than just an ordinary criminal event'.
The Foreign Office updated its Tanzania travel advice page on Friday with details of the attack and warns British nationals to 'take care' and read its travel advice.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2389209/Zanzibar-attack-Muslim-preacher-wanted-acid-attack-British-teenagers-Zanzibar-shot-police-tried-escape.html#ixzz2bf5YdXw7
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