German kidnapped in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen -- A German diplomat has been kidnapped by armed tribesmen in Yemen.

The official, reported by Reuters news agency to be a trade attache, was snatched from a busy street in the capital, Sanaa,a security official said.

Scores of tourists and foreign nationals working in Yemen have been kidnapped in recent years, often by disgruntled tribesmen demanding better local facilities or the release of jailed relatives.

Most of the hostages are treated well and released unharmed, but last year a Norwegian diplomat was shot dead in crossfire between security forces and kidnappers.

And four Westerners were killed in 1998 during a botched army attempt to free them from Islamic militants who had seized 16 tourists.

Nobody was immediately available for comment from the German Embassy.

But the Yemeni security official told Reuters: "The man was in a car with his wife. The gunmen led him away and got away quickly."

Friday's kidnapping came a day after Yemen's government raised diesel prices as part of market reforms, risking a repeat of violent protests that erupted after the last price rise in 1998.