Washington: An American citizen who had been held in Yemen has been freed and sent to Oman where he was met by the US ambassador, a US official told AFP Monday.
The news came after it was revealed that several Americans are imprisoned in war-torn Yemen.
“I can confirm that a formally detained US citizen has departed Yemen and is currently in Muscat, Oman,” a State Department official said.
“The US ambassador and a consular official met him at the airport upon his arrival and are providing all possible consular assistance.”
There was no confirmation of the man’s identity, where he had been held or by whom.
The State Department told AFP on Sunday that it was working to win the release of “several US citizens” held in Yemen, where fighting has raged for months amid an insurgency by Iran-backed Al Houthi militants.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Americans were believed to be held by Al Houthi militia in a prison near the capital Sana’a, and that US efforts to secure their release had faltered, hampered by the fact that Washington has no direct links to the militants.
US officials said efforts to secure the release of the Americans had been mainly through “intermediaries including humanitarian groups that continue to have a presence in Sanaa,” the Post said.
One of the prisoners had been approved to be released in recent days, but the rebels went back on their decision, the Post said.
He had initially been detained for overstaying his visa, but then the Al Houthi militants accused him of travelling to “sensitive” areas in Yemen.
