Italian tourists in Yemen released, kidnappers surrender
Yemen-Italy, Local, 1/7/2006

Yemeni tribal and governmental sources said that five Italian tourists were released after they were kidnapped by tribesmen on January 1st in Mareb governorate to the northern of the caipal Sanaa. The Italian foreign ministry confirmed this news.

The Yemeni sources indicated that mediation efforts succeeded in releasing the kidnapped persons unharmed. Al-Jazeera satellite TV said that the kidnappers also surrendered themselves to the security forces.

Al-Jazeera said that this step should have been done on Thursday evening, but security moves in the surrounding of the house where the hostages were held led to stumbling of the mediation process for several hours. The mediation was resumed via Sheikhs and tribes chieftains and parliamentarians in the Yemeni parliament for the region.

Al-Jazeera indicated that the Yemeni authorities agreed according to this mediation to bring 8 persons held in custody, relatives to the kidnappers, to the attorney general (to have their case reviewed as part of the negotiation promisse) and promised to pay compensations for the owners of houses damaged because of the interference of the security men in the same area.

The kidnappers had demanded the release of persons jailed from their tribe on the background of them killing a police officer in Sanaa, two years ago, in return for releasing the Italian tourists.

Previous Stories:
  Yemen not ruling out force to free Italian hostages   (1/4/2006)
  Italian women go back to their Yemeni kidnappers   (1/2/2006)

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