Sanaa, 19 April (AKI) - A court in Yemen has sentenced 14 Islamists to jail terms between 18 months to seven years for planning to abduct Americans in order to negotiate the release of prisoners. The 14 men were also convicted of plotting to attack military and security installations in the country. Reports say that as the judge pronounced the verdict on Wednesday, the defendents chanted Islamic hyms.During the legal proceedings, the 14 men admitted that they had been planning to travel to Iraq to fight against the US-led forces there but they denied all the other charges. Kidnapping is a common strategy among tribes in Yemen, who use hostages as levers to extract money or make demands from the government. Some 200 foreigners were kidnapped in Yemen between 1991- 2001.
The government in Yemen has vowed to crack down on these abductions and has already put to death two kidnappers in April. The impoverished country is a key partner in the US-led 'war on terror' and is trying to rid itself of its reputation as a haven for Islamic extremists.