Yemeni tribesmen kidnap 2 American tourists

Armed tribesmen kidnapped two American tourists Monday in rugged territory about 45 miles west of Sana, the capital of Yemen, according to news reports and Yemeni security officials.

The man and woman were traveling by car when they and their Yemeni driver and guide were abducted in Al Haymah district. The Yemen Observer reported that gunmen brought the Americans, believed to be a husband and wife, to a village where they were offered food and khat leaves, a mild stimulant traditionally chewed by Yemenis.

Media reports said the kidnappers were demanding the release of a clansman arrested in a land dispute. Tribesmen often kidnap foreigners in an attempt to pressure the government to improve services, or for prisoner swaps. Two Chinese oil workers were abducted in a southern province last week and released days later, authorities said.

However, hostage ordeals don’t always go smoothly. Two German girls kidnapped nearly a year ago were rescued by security forces last week along Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni government said the girls were taken by a group with connections to Al Qaeda. Three foreigners traveling with the girls and their family were killed. The girls’ brother and parents are still missing.

The snatching of the Americans, whose names were not released, was a reminder of how weak government control is beyond Yemen’s capital. Lawlessness has turned the Arabian Peninsula nation into a haven for Islamic militants and criminal networks. U.S. military and intelligence officials have been working with Yemen to weaken an Al Qaeda offshoot that claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner.

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com