Fate of Western hostages still unknown, says Yemeni minister

Jun 23, 2009, 12:48 GMT

Sana'a, Yemen - The fate of a German family of five and a British man held hostages in north-western Yemen was still 'unknown' on Tuesday, the country's information minister said.

'We hope from the depths of our hearts that our German friends are still alive,' said Hassan al-Lawzi, who also acts as the government's spokesman.

'Their fate and location is unknown yet,' al-Lawzi said during his weekly briefing.

The German family and the British engineer were taken at gunpoint along with two German theology students and a South Korean teacher while on a weekend excursion in the restive province of Saada on June 12.

The bodies of the two German women and the South Korean woman were later found in Akwan in the Wadi Nushur area east of Saada three days after the kidnapping. Wadi Nushur is close to al-Jawf province, where al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups have a presence.

The minister said police officers were questioning more than 40 suspects after the kidnap.

'More than 40 people are being interrogated by police,' al-Lawzi said.

'They might provide information about the fate of the hostages and their location,' he said.

He said two men who informed police about the kidnap on June 12 were also being investigated by police.

The murdered women and some of the hostages had been working for a local hospital in Saada, on the border with Saudi Arabia, some 240 kilometres north- west of the capital Sana'a.

More than 1,000 mourners attended a memorial service in Germany for the pair on Tuesday.

A massive search operation by the security and army forces, backed by thousands of tribesmen and ordinary people, is hindered by the ongoing conflict between government forces and the al-Houthi group.

No tribal or political group has yet claimed responsibility or made demands.

Authorities have accused the al-Houthi Shiite rebel group of being behind the kidnapping, a charge the group vehemently denied.

Kidnapping has been rampant in Yemen for nearly two decades. This time, however, the methods and the degree of brutality are different.