(AKI) - Two Dutch tourists were abducted on Tuesday in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and taken to a mountainous area. They were allegedly kidnapped by militants from the al-Siraj clan, which are part of a local tribe."At the moment we are busy trying to pinpoint exactly where the two Dutch tourists were taken. It is a man and his wife, and they were abducted in the area of Dabian, in the province of Sanaa," said Numan Duid (photo), the prefect of Sanaa, quoted by government Internet site Almotamar.
Following their abduction, the tourists are said to have been taken to the region of Bani Dhebyan where the tribe lives, located 30 kilometres east of Sanaa.
Unnamed sources quoted by Yemeni site Mareb said the kidnapping is in retaliation against Yemeni security forces after police allegedly injured three members of the tribe in the north of the country in April 2008.
The same tribe has also been held responsible for the kidnapping of three German tourists last year, demanding members of their family be freed in return the hostages' release. The tribe reportedly received a ransom of 100,000 dollars for the tourists' release a week later.