Hostages held by al-Qaeda-linked tribe
2013-01-17 22:13
Sanaa - Two Finns and an Austrian kidnapped in Yemen
nearly a month ago are being held by al-Qaeda-linked tribesmen in the network's
eastern stronghold of Marib, security officials told AFP on Thursday.
The trio were abducted in Sanaa on 21 December by
tribesmen with grievances over land seized from them in the capital and were
initially held in Khawlan, a mountainous area 80km southeast of Sanaa.
On Thursday, security officials said the kidnappers
"are tribesmen linked to al-Qaeda" who have taken the hostages to
Marib province.
The kidnappers have also widened their demands, calling
for authorities to "free al-Qaeda leaders jailed in Sanaa and a ransom to
release their hostages”, one tribal source said.
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Abdelqader Qahtan
received envoy Jarno Syrjala from Finland, which has no diplomatic
representation in Yemen.
The minister assured Syrjala that "efforts are
ongoing to free the hostages without endangering their lives”, according to
state news agency Saba.
The Austrian man and a Finnish man and woman were
abducted as they prepared to travel to the southern port of Aden via second
city Taez.
The two men were learning Arabic in Sanaa, and the woman
had recently arrived on a visit.
Most kidnappings of foreigners are carried out by members
of the country's powerful tribes who use them as bargaining chips in disputes
with the central government.
Hundreds of people have been abducted in Yemen over the
past 15 years.
Almost all have been freed unharmed.
Al-Qaeda has a major presence in the south and east of Yemen
but rarely carries out kidnappings.
A Saudi diplomat, Abdallah al-Khalidi, remains in the
hands of the jihadist network since his abduction in Aden on 28 March.
- SAPA
