Sunday 14 June 2009

Al Houthi accused of kidnapping nine foreigners


By Nasser Arrabyee/14/06/2009

The Yemeni government accused Sunday the Al Houthi rebels of kidnapping nine foreigners working in a hospital in Sa'ada, north of the country.

The Al Houthi supporters, the outlaws, have kidnapped nine foreigners working in Al Jemhori hospital, an official statement said.

Late Saturday, gunmen kidnapped a German engineer working in the hospital, along with his wife and their three children, two girls and a boy. Two German nurses, a British engineer and Korean woman who was working as teacher for the children of the foreigners, were also kidnapped.

The nine hostages were taken to Sufyan, Bani Mu'adh, and an area under the control of the Al Houthi rebels, the official statement said.

The hostages were among an international medical mission who has been working in the hospital for 35 years.

The official statement also said Al Houthi supporters had kidnapped the 22 health workers working with the same hospital last Thursday. All of them were released Friday.

The kidnapping comes within the framework of the sabotage acts being done by Al Houthi rebels with the aim of thwarting the peace efforts and reconstruction process in Sa'ada, the statement said.

Al Houthi, however, denied that his supporters were behind the kidnapping. "The kidnapping seems to be premeditated and we smell a conspiracy from it," said a short statement published by a website close to Al Houthi.


On Saturday, the government also accused the rebels' leader, Abdul Malik Al Houthi, of using the building of schools in his area to train men and women of his supporters on spreading the ideas of Al Houthi among the people.

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