Yemen says foiled Al-Qaeda bid to kidnap UAE envoy

Speaking at a press conference in Sanaa, the ministry's Brig. Gen. Mohamed al-Qaeidi said six militants - including two affiliated with Al-Qaeda - had planned to kidnap the diplomat but that security forces had foiled the attempt based on intelligence.

Yemeni security agencies also nabbed members of a gang that had kidnapped Saudi nationals and threatened Saudi embassy employees, al-Qaeidi added, giving no further details.

Kidnapping for ransom is common in Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries. In March, the government said it had arrested members of a group that used to kidnap foreigners in Sanaa before selling them on to militant groups, including Al-Qaeda.

Yemen has remained in a state of relative chaos since the ouster of long-serving president Ali Abdullah Saleh in early 2012 as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings.