German diplomat freed in Yemen

23/04/2001| IslamWeb

SANAA, Sept 24 (AFP) -
German diplomat Rainer Berns, who was taken hostage in Yemen two months ago by a group of armed men, was freed on Sunday night, an official said Monday.
Berns, the commercial attache at the German embassy, was freed at midnight after negotiations with tribal dignitaries, the official from Maarib province, some 170 kilometers (100 miles) east of the capital Sanaa, told AFP.
"He is well but he needs a rest after his long period in captivity," the official added.
The 55-year-old diplomat was abducted from his car in Sanaa in July and said in a message he managed to send to his embassy last week he was forced by his kidnappers to walk a long distance in a mountainous area to another detention location far from security forces.