Sana’a, July 2 (IANS) A Saudi diplomat, kidnapped by Yemen-based Al Qaeda wing three months ago, has made a fresh appeal to the Saudi king to ensure his release in exchange for prisoners as demanded, Xinhua reported Monday.
Abdullah al-Khaledi, Saudi Arabia’s deputy consul in Yemen’s port city of Aden, was abducted by the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) from outside his residential building March 28.
“I appeal to King Abdullah and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to secure my release, and I ask them why they refuse to meet Al-Qaeda’s demand to free female prisoners in return for my release,” Xinhua quoted Al-Khaledi as saying in a three-minute video.
“My fate is tied to these jailed women, so release those jailed women and Al Qaeda will set me free … I repeat, do not leave me to my unknown fate,” he added.
In April, the terrorist group had demanded the release of militants in Saudi prisons in exchange for releasing Al-Khaledi.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reopened its mission in Sana’a that had been closed since the kidnapping.
