Swedish Hostage Set Free [Archives:2000/49/Front Page]

Yemen Times conducted a telephone conversation with the Swedish diesel engineer hostage, Anders Salenius, 69, immediately after his release from captivity in early Thursday morning when he was in Mareb before his return to Sanaa. He said I am in a good condition.
He indicated that he had to meet some people before he came back to Sanaa. He also said While being in captivity, I was transferred from one place to another and I had no contact with any one except the people around me who did not know much English. That was the whole game! Now Im in the hotel and I am resting.
He revealed that he was able to contact his family.
Mr. Salenius was abducted while working at a power plant financed by the World Bank. The abductors from al-Zaidi tribe demanded the Yemeni government to allocate a plot of land in southern Yemens Aden governorate in addition to other demands concerning their tribe. The government refused to comply with their requests, saying They are unnegotiable demands, and requested the kidnappers to set the Swedish hostage free unconditionally.
This is the first abduction of a European citizen in Yemen in several months. An Italian archaeologist and four Yemenis were kidnapped last June but they were later released safely.

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