SANA'A: Last Wednesday, Abdullah al-Khaladi, the Saudi vice-Consul to Yemen was kidnapped by a group of unknown gunmen as he was leaving his residence in the sea-port city of Aden, south of the country for his office at the Consulate. Despite much pressure on the Yemeni government all efforts exerted so far by the KSA have proven fruitless as the kidnappers are seeking to settle a personal dispute. As revealed by tribal sources and officers from the Central Security Forces, al-Khaladi would have wedded a young Yemeni girl privately without the presence of a cleric, rendering the union semi-official, which is believed to have angered the bride's family. This “civil marriage practice” which is widespread in Egypt, is largely frowned upon in Yemen as the presence of an Imam is a prerequisite for the marriage to be fully valid. Sheikh Mohamed al-Iryani an Imam in Aden told Bikyamasr.com that although the presence of witnesses made the marriage de facto legal in the eye of God, tradition required a “proper” religious ceremony and public announcement to be recognized. “The family probably felt the vice-consul was taking advantage of the secrecy, maybe fearing that he would at one time deny the union and reject their daughter, which would bring upon them great shame,” said al-Iryani. A tribal leader sitting on the negotiation committee revealed under secrecy as he wasn't allowed to speak to the press that the kidnappers had clearly expressed their conditions, stating that al-Khaladi would be released upon the finalization of his marriage. The Saudi diplomat who was moved by his abductors from Aden to an area near Lahj is said to be in good health. Some officials in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital continue to argue that al-Qaeda militants are to blame for the abduction as they say the crime directly coincided with President Hadi's visit to Riyadh, pointing out that the very zone where the diplomat was being held was a well-known stronghold of Ansar al-Sharia, an offshoot of AQAP in Yemen. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/8Y28K Tags: Diplomat, Kidnapping, Saudi, Yemen Section: Gulf, Latest News, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
