Saudi diplomat kidnapped

A Saudi Arabian diplomat was kidnapped outside his home in Yemen by tribesmen who claim to have “rights” in Saudi Arabia, sources told Al Arabiya television.

The armed tribesmen kidnapped Saeed al-Maliki and said they were ready to negotiate his release with the Saudi government.
Sana’a Governor Noman Duwaid was quoted by local media as saying that the gunmen were part of the Bani Dhabyan tribe, and that they kidnapped Mr. Maliki while he was heading to the Saudi embassy in the Yemeni capital.

The diplomat was taken to the outskirts of the city where the tribe is located, Mr. Duwaid said.

Saudi sources told Al Arabiya that talks have already started to secure Mr. Maliki’s release.

Ali Al-Hamdan, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, said embassy officials have been able to call Mr. Maliki and determine that he was in good condition. The kidnapping mastermind was reportedly identified in local media as Abdrabuh Nasser Al-Salmi.

The Bani Dhabyan has kidnapped foreigners and Yemenis before. In December 2008 armed men from the tribe abducted a German woman who worked with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) while she was touring the historical city of Rada'a with her elderly parents.
They tribesmen initially demanded $200,000 ransom for their release, but later freed the hostages without conditions.

Armed tribesmen who sought to press the government to make concessions in the distribution of jobs and political posts have abducted more than 200 foreigners in the last 15 years, according to ReliefWeb, an on-line source of information on humanitarian emergencies and disasters.

(Mustapha Ajbaili of Al Arabiya