Tribal elders on Monday arranged the release of a Saudi physician along with his family, a day after they were kidnapped by armed tribesmen in northern Yemen.

Local sources said more than 120 elders from the tribe of Waela pledged today to follow up the issue of a detainee from the tribe responsible for the kidnapping, Al Ubada, who was held by the authorities in return for setting free the Saudi family.

The elders gathered early Monday and promised to release the family, which was snatched to pressure the government to release the detainee, held in connection with links to Al-Qaeda, they said.

We would handle the issue, but the forces should come back, they said, as the forces arrived in Saada to release the Saudis, they said, according to the sources.

We would also contact the Political Security over the release of your detainee, if he was not convicted of Al-Qaeda charges, the elders told Al Ubada tribesmen.

Armed tribesmen from Al Ubada clan kidnapped the Saudi family, demanding the authorities to release Abdullah Hussein Ubada said to be in the custody of the Political Security and other tribal detainees inside Saudi jails.

A tribal mediation failed to release the family as its members were kidnapped on Sunday. After the incident, Al-Salam Hospital in Saada closed down in solidarity with its kidnapped director physician Dhafir Al-Shahri and his family.