GAZA CITY: Armed men kidnapped a British correspondent for the BBC after forcing him from his car in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Palestinian security sources said.

Alan Johnston, who is the BBC's primary journalist in Gaza and one of the few Western reporters to be permanently based in the increasingly lawless territory, was snatched from his car in Gaza City.

Johnston had just arrived in Gaza after crossing Erez, the main border post between the territory and Israel, and went to his office in Gaza City where he picked up a car to drive to his house nearby, they said.

Armed men stopped his car as he headed home, forcing him out and driving off with him, they said.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in London said “consular staff in Gaza are checking with the local authorities, but we are unable to confirm anything more at the moment.” —AFP