Officials say gunmen abduct head of Yemen president’s office
SANAA, Yemen—Security officials say gunmen have abducted the head of Yemen’s Office of the Presidency in the center of the capital, Sanaa.
Officials say gunmen kidnapped Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak and his two guards early Saturday. They say Mubarak and his guards were stopped in traffic and taken away. They say there has been no ransom demand made.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists, say they suspect the gunmen are Shiite Houthi rebels. The Houthis seized large areas of Yemen, including Sanaa, last year as part of their protracted power struggle with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Critics say the Houthis are a proxy for Shiite Iran, charges the rebels deny.
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