By: almotamar.net - Following a number of hearings involving the prosecution and defense attorney, the Sana'a-based Penal Court's Appeal Division has decided to pass a judgment on the Italian tourists' kidnappers on Nov 12, 2006. The defendants are six men from Al-Zaidi clan.
The Penal Court had charged March 29, 2006, four Zaidi men, who are Najee Mohammed Al-Zaidi, Mohammed Saleh Al-Zaidi, Ali Saleh Al-Zaidi and Abid Saleh Al-Zaidi, with abduction and detention of five Italian tourists early January 2006 and sentenced them to 20 years in prison starting on the date of their capture. The Penal Court charged Mar'i Ali Ahmed with being accomplice to the above convicts and sentenced him to ten years in prison starting on the date of his capture. With the abduction of the tourists, the kidnappers hoped to set pressure on the government to release some of their relatives and rebuild the house of one of them.
Hadi Mohammed Al-Amiri, the sixth convict, was sentenced to five years in prison for later aiding the rest of the band. Following the announcement of the verdict, the convicts and their attorney had said they would appeal.
The convicts had kidnapped on Jan 1, 2006, five Italian tourists, two men and three women, from Al-Dheeq crossroad on Marib-Sana'a highway, taking them to Al-Mahjazah area in Surwah district. The tourists were held for six days before the security intervened and set them free. The kidnappers were captured and referred to the judiciary.