Kidnappers of Dutch Tourists in Yemen Offer To Trade Them For Security Officials

The leader of the group that kidnapped a Dutch man and his wife in Yemen announced that the two hostages are being treated well and offered to trade them with Yemeni security officers and soldiers who had attacked him a year ago. Tribal leader Ali Nasser al Siraji said the two hostages were his "guests" and assured they were being "fed and well looked after."
Al Siraji explained that the kidnapping of the two hostages came in response to an attack launched against his convoy in April 2008, which badly wounded six of his guards. He accused the security chief in Maarib Mohammed al Ghadra and the head of central security Mohammed Omar of standing behind the attack and demanded that they be handed over to him.