Authorities in Yemen say kidnappers have killed at least three of the
nine foreigners abducted last week in a northern, mountainous region of
the country.
Officials said Monday local residents found the bodies of three women
near the town of Nashour. Two are reported to be German and one South
Korean.
Security officials later reported the bodies of four more hostages were
found, but the Yemeni embassy in the United States says those reports
are false. It says there is no confirmation of the fate of the
remaining hostages.
A statement from the embassy calls the women's deaths a heinous crime and "against the peaceful principles of Islam."
The group of seven Germans, a British engineer, and a South Korean teacher were taken hostage in the Saada region last week.
Government officials accused a Shi'ite rebel group of kidnapping the
foreigners. The Houthi rebels denied any involvement and accused the
government of trying to tarnish their image.
On Sunday, Yemeni authorities arrested a Saudi man - Hassan Hussein bin Alwan - suspected of being al-Qaida's top financier in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Tribesmen in Yemen often take foreigners hostage to pressure the
government on a range of demands, but those foreigners are generally
released unharmed.