A Saudi diplomat, Abdullah Al-Khaldi and a Swiss teacher, Sylvia Abrahat, will be released within 48 hours, deputy interior minster Mohammad al-Qawsai expected on Sunday.
He told the military-run 26 September newspaper that the diplomat and the teacher kidnapped since March by unidentified men will be released in the up-coming hours.
Al-Qawsi further said that contacts are ongoing to free them safely, asserting that Yemen's security services will go on combating terrorism, all kinds of crimes.
He emphasized that security services will strongly respond against terrorists and outlaws to maintain Yemen's security and stability.
The Swiss teacher who worked in an English education institute was kidnapped from the port city of Hodediah and transferred to Shabwah governorate where al-Qaeda is extensively existed.
Tribal sources had claimed that the teacher is being held in one of the mountains of Al-Saeed, 60 kilometers east of Shabwa’s capital, Ataq.
They also said that the abductors handed her over to the Ansar Sharia (Supporters of the Islamic Law), a group that is believed to have links with Al-Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia alleged that armed groups connected to Al-Qaeda had kidnapped its diplomat in Aden, pointing out that it received a call from Al-Qaeda wanted operative, Mashaal Rasheed al-Shawdakhi, who claimed the abduction.
The Saudi government said al-Shawdakhi demanded the release of militants jailed in Saudi Arabia and a ransom payment in exchange for the diplomat.
It said the caller warned that al-Qaida will kill the diplomat, attack a Saudi embassy and assassinate a Saudi prince if the demands are not met. Riyadh rejected the threats.
Other sources told media outlets that the abductors requested a ransom of YR 250 million for the teacher’s release.