OTTAWA - Canadian authorities aren't confirming whether a second Canadian was kidnapped at a Kenyan refugee camp.

Gunmen snatched four aid workers with the Norwegian Refugee Council and killed a driver at the Dadaab refugee camp near the border with Somalia on Friday.

There was originally believed to be just one Canadian taken by what Kenyan authorities said were suspected sympathizers of Somalia's al-Qaida-linked al Shabaab insurgents.

But on Saturday, the Associated Press reports cited a security official close to the case saying two Canadians were involved, including one Canadian passport holder of Pakistani origin.

News reports Friday had identified one of the snatched aid workers as a Pakistani national.

The two other aid workers are reportedly from Norway and the Philippines.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Jean-Bruno Villeneuve said Saturday that "we are aware of a reported kidnapping in Kenya" and are in close contact with Kenyan authorities.

"We will not comment or release any information which may compromise these efforts," he said.
Norwegian Refugee Council director Rolf Vestvik was similarly tight-lipped, telling Sun News Network that for security reasons he couldn't reveal the names or nationalities of the kidnap victims.

"All experiences from similar situations show that the people that are missing are probably more safe when there is as little information about their identity out in the open as possible," he said.

Vestvik did confirm his organization was in close contact with the families of the kidnapped workers and is still gathering more information on the brazen daylight attack.

"But we cannot say anything certain on where they are and what's behind this attack," he said.

More than 460,000 refugees live in the sprawling Dadaab camp, which is considered the largest refugee camp in the world.

The security situation there has been worsening since last year, with many aid agencies tightening security after two aid workers with Doctors Without Borders were snatched last October from the camp. They have yet to be released.

- with files from Reuters