Abducted Saudi diplomat repeats appeal for his release
Iran Press TV
Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:18AM GMT
A Saudi diplomat held hostage by the al-Qaeda in Yemen has appealed to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to secure his release from the hands of the militants.
"I have been taken hostage for more than a year by al-Qaida organization and nothing was done by the Saudi government to negotiate my release," Abdullah al-Khaledi said in a 19-minute video posted online on Tuesday.
He added, "I'm a Saudi citizen and I was on duty when I was kidnapped... all what al-Qaida demands is the release of a few women jailed by the Saudi authorities in return for my release".
The appeal was the fourth of its kind to the Saudi monarch.
Khaledi, Saudi deputy consul in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, was kidnapped by the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on March 28, 2012.
Al-Qaeda militants or tribesmen frequently kidnap foreigners in Yemen in exchange for ransoms for the release of jailed fellows. Most of the abductees are freed unscathed.
On February 27, a Swiss woman was released after one year of captivity in the hands of the al-Qaeda wing in Yemen.
Al-Qaeda has taken advantage of the weakness of the Yemeni central government during more than two years of anti-government demonstrations to expand their presence in the impoverished country.
Al-Qaeda loyalists have carried out a spate of deadly attacks against Yemeni security forces since Ali Abdullah Saleh's successor, President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, came to power in February 2012.
Last May, the Yemeni military launched an all-out offensive and retook a string of towns in Abyan Province, where al-Qaeda loyalists had established themselves.
MP/MHB
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