Yemen President's Aide Seized in Sanaa
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Shiite rebels in control of Yemen's capital said they seized President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's chief of staff, a claim confirmed by a senior official.
Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who is also secretary general of the national dialogue set up to oversee the political transition, was arrested on Saturday at a checkpoint in Yemen's southern Hada district.
A statement by the Shiite Houthi said the kidnapping was a measure to prevent a UN-brokered agreement between the presidency and them in September "from being broken".
The chief of Yemen's national security service, General Mohammed al-Ahmadi, told reporters "talks are ongoing to secure his release".
Mubarak was appointed secretary-general of the national dialogue to oversee the political transition following the 2012 resignation of veteran president Ali Abdullah Saleh after a bloody year-long uprising.
