German FM says Yemen has new information on location of kidnapped Germans, Briton

German FM: New info on kidnapped Germans in Yemen

SAN’A, Yemen — Yemen has new information on the possible whereabouts of a missing German family and a British man reportedly held hostage by al-Qaida, Germany’s foreign minister said Monday, expressing hope they would be freed soon.

A German couple and their three young children went missing in June along with a Briton in the northern region of Saada. Two German women and a Korean woman who disappeared with them were found dead soon after. The group worked for an aid group.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni foreign Minister during a previously unannounced trip to San’a on Monday.

“The president confirmed acquiring very new information,” Westerwelle said after the talks. “They believe they have found where our German citizens are being held.”

If that is the case, Westerwelle said, then it is a sign that they could hopefully soon be freed and returned to Germany. He did not elaborate on the new information.

Yemen accused al-Qaida’s offshoot there of kidnapping the group. Last week, Yemen’s deputy prime minister said the hostages are still alive.