Two American tourists have been kidnapped by armed tribesmen near Yemen's capital, Sanaa, officials say. Their Yemeni driver, who was also seized, later reportedly made a call to the AFP news agency, saying the attackers were demanding the release of a jailed fellow tribesman.The US said the kidnapping of the US nationals - a man and a woman - was "not believed to be terrorism related".
| We'll be the judge of that ... |
The Americans were seized by armed men in the Bani Mansour district 70km (45 miles) west of the capital, their driver told AFP. The driver, who identified himself as Ali al-Arashi, said the kidnappers were "calling for the release of a fellow tribesman held by authorities in Sanaa".
He added that the Americans - whose names were not immediately known - were being treated well "in accordance with tribal hospitality".
| Why do I get this sense that Ali was the inside man in this job ... |
The US embassy in Sanaa said it was working with Yemeni officials to resolve the situation.
In Washington, state department Philip Crowley said that the kidnapping was apparently not an act of terrorism. "There has been unfortunately a bit of a side business in what are called 'tourist kidnappings' where, for whatever reason, a certain tribe has a particular grievance with the [Yemeni] government and uses the presence of foreigners for leverage," he said.
More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped in recent years; most are released unharmed.
| In other words, most of the time being kidnapped is part of the tour experience -- think of the stories one would be able to tell at dinner parties upon returning home! Nonetheless, I'm glad Mr. Wife decided not to accept that particular career opportunity -- on occasion having a Jewish wife proves quite, quite useful, and I suspect I'd not to be sanguine when kidnapped by barbarians. |