Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped a Japanese engineer in an area northeast of the capital Sanaa to press for the release of jailed relatives, Reuters news agency reported Monday, quoting a provincial official.
''Negotiations have started through mediators to seek the release of the man,'' the official, who declined to be identified, was quoted as saying.
''They want relatives jailed (in Yemen) to be released,'' the official said.
The news agency quoted the official as saying the engineer was kidnapped in the town of Arhab about 60 kilometers northeast of Sanaa.
==Kyodo

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