RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 18 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of a Saudi diplomat in Yemen last month, Saudi officials said.
The Saudi government told Voice of America that the terrorist group has threatened to kill the diplomat unless the kingdom releases militants jailed in Saudi Arabia and pays a ransom.
The demands were made in a phone call to the Saudi Embassy in Yemen by a man the Saudis identified as terror suspect Mashaal Rasheed al-Shawdakhi.
The caller also threatened an attack on a Saudi Embassy and the assassination of a Saudi prince if the demands are not met.
Kidnapping of foreigners for ransom is common in Yemen where al-Qaida militants and other rebels control large swathes of territory.
