London closes its council in Yemen

London has closed the British counsulate in Yemen and its staff started to leave the country after British citizens have been exposed to kidnappings, and several of them were killed in an incident at the end of December 1998. Yemen had indicated that Britain is involved in terrorist activities in Yemen to destabilize the country.

An official source in Sanaa said the British councils in both Sanaa and Aden were closed several days earlier at the instructions of the Foreign Ministry in London.

The British source added that the British citizens working in the counsulate started to leave Yemen.

Meanwhile, a well-informed source at the Yemeni capital airport said that the Yemeni authorities prevented the entry of relatives to two British Muslims who are tried in Aden because they do not have entry visa.