Monday 2 March 2015

Saudi Diplomat Held by Qaeda in Yemen Freed

A Saudi diplomat, kidnapped in Yemen almost three years ago and handed to Al-Qaeda, has been freed and returned to the kingdom, the interior ministry said on Monday.

Abdullah al-Khalidi, deputy consul in the southern port city of Aden, who was kidnapped on March 28, 2012, was freed following "intense efforts" by the Saudi intelligence services, a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency said without elaborating.

Saudi Diplomat Held by Qaeda in Yemen Freed
Less than one month after his abduction, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula demanded the freeing of all its members detained in Saudi Arabia as well as a ransom in exchange for the diplomat's release.

His captors initially asked for $10 million but later doubled the ransom demand to $20 million, a tribal mediator told AFP in August 2012.

It was unclear if Saudi authorities paid any money in exchange for Khalidi's eventual release.
The interior ministry said the diplomat had been handed over to Al-Qaeda "in a suspicious deal" after his kidnap in Aden.

He "will undergo medical examinations and be reunited with his family," SPA said.

Source: AFP
02-03-2015 - 14:51 Last updated 02-03-2015 - 14:51

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