The Yemeni police have thwarted an attempt to kidnap a Filipino in the capital Sanaa.

Official sources said the police intercepted a car at 45th St in downtown the capital Friday and discovered the Filipino, in his 30s, was put inside the car and covered with a polestar blanket.

"The two would-be kidnapers tried to bribe the police with a lot of money and a machine gun to let them go without checking their car, but the policemen refused," the sources said.

"The car did not have a number plate. It was suspicious and later seized along with the would-be kidnappers inside it," the official said.

The Filipino, his name written like this Nar Sisco, worked for a private Yemeni company.

Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Yemen this year, most of whom by Al-Qaeda militants in south Yemen.

Tribesmen usually kidnap foreigners including tourists to pressure the government to meet special demands such as ransom, releasing detailed fellows or providing basic services.

Separately, Yemen said it has lost more than $200 million due to maritime piracy off the Gulf of Aden.

The statement was made at the meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) which was held in India recently.

Foreign minister, Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi, said the losses occurred fter warships of those patrolling the area to fight Somali pirates intercepted Yemeni fishing boats and because of attacks by pirates on fishing boats.

"The losses have remarkable impacts on Yemen's economy," he said, urging better cooperation among the association's members to protect the regional waterways.