Xaaji Xunjuf Posted May 28, 2010 Yemen tribesmen kidnap US couple Written by SMH May 28, 2010 at 12:20 PM Armed tribesmen in Yemen have kidnapped two US tourists and their Yemeni driver in a bid to secure the release of an imprisoned fellow tribesman, the driver and a tribal source says. The US embassy confirmed the abduction on Monday of two American citizens, which a State Department spokesman in Washington said was "not believed to be terrorism related." The couple were abducted in Bani Mansour, 70 kilometres west of the Yemeni capital, a tribal source said. They are calling for the release of a fellow tribesman held by authorities in Sanaa," the captured driver, Ali al-Arashi, told AFP in a telephone call. The captives were being well-treated, "in accordance with tribal hospitality," he added. The couple were snatched in the Bani Mansour area, near the mountain town of Hajara, a tourist destination known for its historic buildings. From there, they were driven to Hamra village, the driver said. A spokesman for the US embassy confirmed the abductions. "We can confirm that two American citizens were kidnapped in Yemen today," the spokesman told AFP. "The regional security office and the consulate are working together with Yemeni authorities to release them," he added without giving further details. US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said later that the kidnappings were "not believed to be terrorism related." Yemen's powerful tribes often kidnap foreigners for use as bargaining chips in disputes with the central government. Of about 200 foreigners seized in Yemen over the past decade, almost all have been released unharmed. "We have every reason to believe this is one of those cases," Crowley said. Two Chinese oil workers abducted by tribesmen in eastern Yemen were released on May 18 after two days in captivity. A week ago, Saudi security forces rescued two young German girls held hostage for nearly a year in rugged north Yemen. Their infant brother was feared dead and the fate of their parents was unknown, officials said. The girls were part of a group of seven Germans, a British man and a South Korean woman seized in Yemen's northern mountains in June 2009. AFP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
