Tribesman jailed over Yemen kidnap

SANAA, Yemen -- A Yemeni tribesman has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for kidnapping a German man and holding him hostage for almost two weeks.

A Yemen court, which specialises in cases related to kidnappings and bombings, also sentenced three other Yemenis still at large for the abduction to 20-year prison terms.

Carl Lehrner, 50, who was kidnapped on November 29, worked at a car dealership in Yemen. He was snatched from the capital Sanaa by armed tribesmen hours after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh started a visit to Germany.

He was released when special forces backed by helicopters stormed the kidnappers' hideout almost two weeks later.

Tribal sources said at least five people were killed and several wounded during the clashes.

Ahmed Nasser al-Zaydi, the tribesman who received a 25-year sentence, pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this month.

Zaydi, unemployed and in his 30s, said he acted to protest his living conditions.

Scores of tourists and foreigners working in Yemen have been kidnapped in recent years, often by disgruntled tribesmen seeking better state services and regional infrastructure, or the release of jailed relatives.