Several Saudi and Yemeni officials have strongly condemned the kidnapping of Abdullah Al-Khalidi, Saudi Vice Consul in Yemen, describing it as a terrorist crime. Al-Khalidi was seized outside his residence in Aden on March 28. A suspected Al-Qaeda militant claimed responsibility and threatened to kill Al-Khalidi unless a ransom was paid and some militants were freed from Saudi prisons. In Riyadh, Sheikh Dr. Saleh Al-Fawzan, member of the Council of Senior Ulema, said that kidnapping and assaulting innocent people is a crime under Islamic Shariah and international regulations as it is construed as an attack and an act of intimidation. Al-Fawzan urged the kidnappers to release the diplomat forthwith. In Asir region, a number of officials and citizens denounced the deviant group for the kidnapping. Those who issued the condemnation statement include Sheikh Ali Mufreh leader of Bani Mughaid and Bani Namar tribe; Dr. Abdullah Al-Amri, Dean of Higher Studies at King Khalid University; and Sheikh Amer Al-Amer, Director General of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Asir region. In Yemen, officials and citizens have also condemned the kidnapping. They include Sheikh Hassan Muhammad Al-Haddar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments for Guidance Sector; Ahmad Al-Khurbi, a noted poet; Sadeq Al-Nabhani, an official in the Department of Children and Women at the Ministry of Culture; and Abdulkhaleq Muhammad Al-Radaie, a well-known plastic artist.
