So far, the Swedish embassy in Mali is referring all enquiries about the case to the foreign office in Stockholm, while local police are said to be continuing with their investigation into the accident.

Although details are still sketchy, reports in Mali suggest the Swede was among a group of four westerners eating in a restaurant in Timbuktu when they were apprehended by a group of heavily armed men.

During the attack, a German man was shot and killed, according to bystanders.

“We have received reports, but we cannot say anything more about what is confirmed or what we know, ” Ylva Schwinn, vice secretary at the embassy, told news agency TT.

Meanwhile the foreign ministry remains equally tight lipped at this stage.

“Reports have reached us, but in terms of Swedes who have been kidnapped in Sweden or abroad, there is nothing we can say for safety reasons,”, said police spokesman Wolf Gyllander.

In a country where the kidnapping of westerners is not uncommon, this is the second reported incident in the past week. On Thursday, two French nationals were taken in the same area and the French military is involved in the search, according to AFP reports.

With at least nine westerners currently held by kidnappers in Mali, the foreign ministry issued a warning on November 21st, advising Swedes not to travel to the northern regions of the country and specifically Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu.