Armed men kidnap Italian diplomat in Yemen-security source

Armed men kidnapped an Italian diplomat from outside the Italian embassy in Sanaa on Sunday, a security source said.
   
"The diplomat was near the embassy building when men came by in a car and took him by force. He is responsible for security in the embassy," the source said, adding that it was not known where the men had taken the diplomat.

Separately, 100 armed tribesmen stormed the Interior Ministry building earlier in the day in the Yemeni capital Sanaa demanding to be enlisted in the police force, a ministry official said.
   
The tribesmen, who have taken control of the building, briefly held some employees hostage before freeing them a few hours later, the official said, but they were still occupying the building.
   
Tribesmen have fought alongside government troops in a U.S.-backed offensive against al Qaeda-linked militants that drove insurgents out of several towns in the south of the country last month. Many tribal fighters also sided with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh who was toppled by a popular uprising.
 

REUTERS