Yemen says 9 foreigners kidnapped in north

Yemen accused a Shiite rebel group Sunday of kidnapping nine foreigners in the country's rugged north.

Yemen accused a Shiite rebel group Sunday of kidnapping nine foreigners in the country’s rugged north. But the group,which is led by Abdel Malak al-Hawthi,denied any involvement and accused the government of trying to tarnish the rebels’ image. “We have never kidnapped foreigners and have no information about the group at all,” said a spokesman for the group,speaking on condition of anonymity because an official denial would be issued later.

The Yemeni Interior Ministry said the foreigners,who it did not identify,were kidnapped while on a picnic in northern Sada province. Local Yemenis in Sada said the group included a German doctor,his wife and five children,as well as a Briton and his wife. But they could not confirm they were kidnapped because no group had claimed responsibility. They suggested the group might have lost its way or had an accident. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal.

The Foreign Ministry in Berlin confirmed that seven Germans are missing in Yemen. The ministry has organized a crisis team to deal with the matter and the German Embassy in Yemen is in contact with local authorities,it said. The state news agency Saba said the foreigners worked in a hospital in Sada. Tribesmen in Yemen frequently take foreigners hostage to pressure the government on a range of demands and generally release them unharmed. Tribesmen on Friday freed 24 local and foreign medics working at a Saudi-funded hospital in Sada less than 24 hours after their kidnapping,which was not carried out by the al-Hawthi group.

Thousands of people have been killed in Saada since a Shiite rebellion erupted there in June 2004. The rebels say the government is corrupt and too closely allied with the West. The government has charged al-Hawthi with sedition,forming an illegal armed group and inciting anti-American sentiment. The group negotiated a fragile cease-fire with the government last year,but serious tension remains.

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