Finland Times

The Finnish couple and an Austrian national, who were abducted by unidentified gunmen from Al-Tahrir Square in Yemen's capital Sanaa on December 21, are yet to be rescued even after one week despite different moves taken by the Yemen authority.
 

A national newspaper of Yemen, The Yemen post reported quoting the tribal sources that the militants who kidnapped the three Europeans are seeking as much as $7 million US dollars as ransom to make the hostage free.

The Yemen government, however, refused to negotiate with the kidnappers or give additional details on where the situation stands today but the senior Interior Ministry officials met with tribal leaders in areas around Sana'a and called on them to assist in the search for the abducted people,  said the newspaper report.

One official told Yemen Post that tribal influence in regions surrounding Sana'a is strong which brings up the need for the government to cooperate with the elders hoping to quicken the pace of the investigation.

"The tribal leaders have their eyes in most of the area surrounding Sana'a and we want to ensure that we use all the tools in our hands to help in the search," an Interior Ministry official told Yemen Post.

The official would not give details of where the investigation stands but confirmed the government still lacks enough evidence to know where exactly the kidnapped are.

The government informed Finnish officials who visited Sana’a that a ransom might be needed and confirmed that tribal leaders around Sana’a are helping in the hunt for the kidnappers.

Tribal leaders in the southern suburbs of Sana’a told Yemen Post that the release of the three foreigners would take anywhere between a week to two months ranging on sides agreeing to the ransom. “At times it does not only involve money, it involves the release of prisoners and this case seems like both money and prisoners will be needed to ensure the release of the foreigners,” a tribal leader told Yemen Post.

He said that if negotiations take longer than a month the deal would be somewhat complicating and would involve more for the release.

The authorities have declined to comment on the incident.

 

Tribesmen usually kidnap foreigners to pressure the authorities to meet demands including ransom, releasing detainees or supplying some services to their areas.
Several kidnappings have been reported this year amid alarming security disorder deepened by power vacuum as the unrest, which began last year, persists.

Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported that the National Bureau of Investigation decided to help the Yemeni authorities to take a Finnish couple's kidnapping investigation. NBI Director appointed an investigation Detective Superintendent Thomas Elfgren Thursday afternoon.

"Of course, when the Finns are a crime in abroad, so we are prepared for it, that leaves us with local authorities to assist in the Finnish police," says Elfgren to the newspaper.

National Bureau of Investigation is currently collecting data from different sources, and it tries to capture the progress as a clear overall picture.

Elfgren, expected that the output of the decision could be made quickly and the initiatives would be taken place in cooperation with the Yemeni authorities.