Gunmen abduct senior intelligence official in Yemen

Sanaa, Dec 25 (IANS) Gunmen kidnapped a senior Yemeni intelligence officer in the capital Thursday, a security officer told Xinhua.

About 20 gunmen raided the house of Maj. Gen. Yehya al-Marani, the head of political security bureau for domestic affairs, at dawn, and then took him to an unknown place, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

He said the militants were wearing Houthi uniforms. However, the security officer and other sources told Xinhua the gunmen were from the Al Qaeda group.

Al-Marani had served as a security intelligence director for years in northern Saada province, the stronghold of the Shia Houthi group, before taking the post in the national headquarters in Sanaa.

Yemeni media reported that the Houthi group, which took over control of Sanaa in September, kidnapped the intelligence officer, but the Houthi group denied any role in the abduction.

An official at the Houthi political bureau told Xinhua that al-Marani had been a close friend to the Shia Houthi group since his days in Saada, and that there were years of counter-terrorism cooperation between the Houthi group and the intelligence department headed by al-Marani.

The Houthi official said al-Marani was in charge of operations against Al Qaeda in northern provinces, and that dozens of Al Qaeda militants were arrested thanks to cooperation between the Houthi group and al-Marani’s intelligence unit.

Security in the Arab country has further worsened since the Shia group seized control of Sanaa in September. The Houthis have since tried to enter the country’s southern regions but met strong resistance from Sunni tribes and the Al Qaeda.

Tribesmen and Al Qaeda militants have frequently kidnapped government and army officials in Yemen as the central authorities have been weakened by political upheaval that started in 2011, when former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted.