Sanaa - A British hostage in Yemen was released yesterday as three men were charged with a separate kidnapping last month that left four Western tourists dead after a rescue operation. Mr John Brooke, an employee of US oil firm Halliburton, was released after mediation by a tribal leader, a Yemeni security official said.
"Our ambassador in Yemen has seen him and finds him safe and well. We are making arrangements to fly him back home as quickly as possible," the British Foreign Office said in London.
Meanwhile, alleged Islamist leader Mr Zin al-Abidin al-Mehdhar, also known as Abu Hassan, and two brothers have gone on trial for the kidnapping of the 16 tourists on December 28th. The Islamic militants could face the death penalty if convicted under a law introduced last August.
