Kidnapper of Italian guard in Yemen demands ransom

SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- The kidnapper of an Italian embassy guard in Yemen is asking for ransom and demanding that his name be removed from a government blacklist.

The Interior Ministry on Tuesday identified the kidnapper as Ali Nasser Jredan from al-Jalal tribe who was detained in January on charges of killing several soldiers in Marib province. He was later released in exchange for a Norwegian U.N. worker who was kidnapped by his tribe. The ministry doesn't say if Jredan is a suspected al-Qaida militant.

The guard, an Italian national, was abducted on Sunday as he walked on the street near the mission's building in Sanaa.

Tribal elders say Jredan is asking for $70,000 as "compensation" for what he claims was his "wrongful detention."

The elders spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing government reprisals.

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