2 Arab Diplomats Disappear, Feared Kidnaping Victims
Two Arab ambassadors were reported missing Saturday in a possible kidnaping. Their disappearance follows the killings by Islamic extremists of 14 foreigners, most Europeans, in the past two weeks.
Fifty-one foreigners have been killed since extremists began targeting them in September, but kidnapings have been rare. Arabs had not been victims of the violence and considered themselves relatively safe.
The burnt wreckage of the car the ambassadors of Yemen and Oman were riding in was found Friday near Khemis el Kechna, 20 miles east of Algiers, the Algerian security services reported.
There was no sign of the two diplomats, identified as Ambassador Hilal ibn Salem ibn Hamoud Siyabi of Oman and Ambassador Askar Ali Hussain of Yemen, the security services reported. A search was mounted.
The Algerians reported only that the pair had disappeared. But the Oman Foreign Ministry said the diplomats had been kidnaped.
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