Houthis Rebels Deny the Kidnapping the Foreigners
They say it occured next the the headquarters of the Political Security in Sa’ada. However like every other group in Yemen, when news hit the western media, they are unable to put out a statement in English.
Ergo, yet more bad google translation:
Houthi deny that any of the sons of Saada relationship is accused of the kidnapping of German. Power is the power (the government) bears full responsibility for their fate.
The area where it was said that they had kidnapped them (Graz) is next to the Political Security in the heart of the city of Saada.
We emphasize that the charge for us is null and false accusation and slander is a matter of political vindictiveness, which is evidence of the bankruptcy (of the regime).
الحوثي ينفي ان يكون لابناء صعدة اي علاقة بخطف الالمان ويتهم السلطة لسلطة هي من تتحمل المسؤولية الكاملة عن مصيرهم حيث وان المنطقة التي قيل أنهم اختطفوا منها ( غراز ) هي بجوار الأمن السياسي في قلب مدينة صعده . ونؤكد أن اتهام السلطة لنا هو اتهام باطل وزور وبهتان وهو من باب الكيد السياسي، وهو دليل على إفلاسها وتخبطها ولن يكون في صالحها كما تظن وتسعى من وراء ذلك بل ستفتح باب الشر على أبناء اليمن يدخل منه من يحملون إ
Of course the Reuters report is by Mohammed Saddam, President Saleh’s personal translator, and the report that the rebels kidnapped them came from the military.
The Saada War has raged since 2004- the rebels have never kidnapped anyone or targeted civilians in that time (unlike the Yemeni government which bombed the hell out of quite a few cities and kidnapped hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians including children.)
Tribal kidnapping is common in Yemen, usually the demand is the release of relatives held as hostages by the government. And normally when tribesmen kidnap foreigners, they call it in, the hostages call home, everybody drinks tea and waits. No one gets hurt, and sooner or later, the tribal relatives are freed and so are the western hostages.
But this is the first case in years where the kidnappers have not immediately identified themselves and their demands. I’m starting to get worried they are going to wind up to be with al Wahishi (Al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula ):
Reuters Earlier on Sunday a government source said nine foreigners, including seven Germans, were kidnapped in the Saada area of north Yemen, days after 24 medical workers were taken hostage, then released within a day.
The source said one of the Germans was a doctor at a local hospital which the other Germans, including his three children, were visiting. The defense ministry said in its online newspaper “September 26″ that Saada rebels carried out the kidnapping.
The Briton is an engineer and the South Korean a female school teacher working with an aid agency. A source among the rebels of Saada’s Houthi clan, members of a Shi’ite sect, denied that they did the kidnapping.
I don’t know who has them. The Houthi rebels seem unlikely susupects. But it is a deviation in the pattern of tribal kidnappings that have occurred since 2000.
