|
U.S. Says Several Americans 'Detained' in Yemen
[AnNahar] Several Americans have been detained in Yemen, a State Department official said Sunday, amid reports that at least four U.S. citizens are being held by Iranian catspaws.The Washington Post reported that the Americans were believed to be held by the Huthi militia in a prison near the capital Sanaa, and that U.S. efforts to secure their release had faltered, hampered by the fact that Washington has no direct links to the rebels. The State Department had seen the "reports that several U.S. citizens have recently been detained in Yemen," the official told AFP. "We are doing everything we can to get these individuals released," the official said, but would not say how many were held or who was holding them. "The protection of U.S. citizens abroad is a top priority," he added, saying for privacy and safety reasons no further information could be given. U.S. officials, quoted by the Post, said none of those held were U.S. Three of the prisoners were believed to work in the private sector, while a fourth was a dual U.S.-Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... citizen. Amid the violence, Washington closed its embassy in Sanaa in February and has temporarily relocated its ambassador and staff in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials said that efforts to secure the release of the Americans had been mainly through "intermediaries including humanitarian groups that continue to have a presence in Sanaa," the Post said. One of the prisoners had been approved to be released in recent days, but the rebels went back on their decision, the Post said. He had initially been detained for overstaying his visa, but then the rebels accused him of traveling to "sensitive" areas in Yemen, a U.S. official told the Post. A fifth American, identified by the daily as Sharif Mobley, is being held on terrorism charges brought against him more then five years ago, the paper said. Posted by: trailing wife 2015-06-01 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=419354 |