British geologist murdered in Eritrea 'killed by Islamists with al-Qa'ida links'

A British geologist murdered in Eritrea was killed by Islamic terrorists, the government of the African state said yesterday.

The body of Timothy Nutt, 49, was found last Saturday near the village of Bisha in the west of the country. His throat had been cut and his four-wheel-drive car set on fire.

The Eritrean government has blamed the killing on the radical Eritrean Islamic Jihad movement, a group it claims is sponsored by the Sudanese government. American intelligence claims the group is one of al-Qa'ida's main allies in Africa.

In a statement, Eritrea's Foreign Ministry said the killing was intended to discourage foreign companies from investing in the country.

Mr Nutt, who lived in South Africa, was working for a Canadian natural resources company called Nevsun. He was searching for raw materials, in particular gold, 40 miles from the country's border with Sudan, and had been with the company for only a fortnight.

A statement from Eritrea's Foreign Ministry said: "A terrorist group sponsored by the government of Sudan sneaked into the environs of Bisha, western Eritrea, from Sudanese territory and murdered in cold blood Mr Timothy Nutt, a British national. It is clear this cowardly act of terror is designed to discourage investment in Eritrea by terrorising foreign investors." The British Foreign Office (FCO) has issued new travel advice following Mr Nutt's death. His body has been repatriated to South Africa. An FCO spokesman said: "Until the investigation is completed we are not going to comment any further."

There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese government. On Thursday Nevsun, based in Vancouver, said it had known of the killing since Sunday.

The Eritrea-Sudan border has been closed since October 2002, after Sudan accused Eritrea of helping rebel activity.