2013 Iranian diplomat kidnapping

Hostage taking in Sana'a, Yemen Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an administrative staff member of the Iranian Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen,5 March 2015 Kidnapped Iranian diplomat rescued in Yemen Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/kidnapped-iranian-diplomat-rescued-yemen-150305101930308.html 24 May 2016 was kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the Yemeni capital on 21 July 2013. Nikbakht was abducted while leaving his home in Sana'a by a gunman who was a member of al-Qaeda.Kelley Quinn 5 March 2015 Nour Ahmad Nikbakht Dark Room http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2015/03/coal-mine-explosion-rescue-purim-acc-womens-tournament-march-5/nour-ahmad-nikbakht/ 24 May 2016 23 June 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190623151232/http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2015/03/coal-mine-explosion-rescue-purim-acc-womens-tournament-march-5/nour-ahmad-nikbakht/ dead He was held hostage for two years and released in March 2015 in exchange for five al-Qaeda leaders.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/world/middleeast/iran-released-top-members-of-al-qaeda-in-a-trade.html Iran Released Top Members of al Qaeda in a Trade The New York Times 18 September 2015 Callimachi Rukmini Schmitt Eric He returned home safely on March 5, 2015. Abduction On 21 July 2013, Nikbakht left his house in Sana'a and went to work. On his way to the embassy, unidentified gunmen blocked the road, forced him out of his car and abducted him, taking him to an unknown location.http://en.alalam.ir/news/1526297 20 October 2013 13:21 Iranian diplomat abducted in Yemen in good health: official ALALAM 20 October 2013 24 May 2016 After he was liberated, Nour-Ahamd stated: "I was kidnapped by unknown gunmen and terrorists as I left my home to go to work." According to the Yemeni tribunal, Nour-Ahmad Nikbakht was held by al-Qaeda militants in an area between the southern provinces of Shabwa and Baida. Nour-Ahmad described his ordeal: "I was in an extremely difficult situation and I did not know what was happening in the outside world." Official statements Before release On 14 August 2013, foreign ministry of Yemen claimed that it had no clues as to the whereabouts of the abducted Iranian diplomat. Hossein Amirabdollahian, deputy of foreign minister, mentioned that a special group was formed at the Iran and Yemen foreign ministry to solve the issue. Also, he said: "the Yemeni government is responsible for the Iranian diplomat's safety and his safe return to the country."http://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2014/09/17/501516/iran-holds-yemen-accountable-for-diplomat-abduction Iran Holds Yemen Accountable for Diplomat Abduction Tasnim News Agency 17 September 2014 24 May 2016 The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Yemeni chargé d'affaires at the Tehran twice and announced that Yemen was responsible for Nikbakht's safety. After release One day before the release, Iranian officials announced that Nikbakht was healthy. thumb|Meeting between Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Nour Ahmad Nikbakht after his return to Iran. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, deputy of foreign minister, explained that intelligence officers carried out a difficult and complicated rescue operation.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31744613 Iranian 'operation' in Yemen frees kidnapped diplomat BBC News 5 March 2015 24 May 20166 March 2015 Iranian special operatives free diplomat abducted in Yemen The Japan Times http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/06/world/iranian-special-operatives-free-diplomat-abducted-yemen/#.V0QYGUZMjwa 24 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20190108005254/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/06/world/iranian-special-operatives-free-diplomat-abducted-yemen/ 8 January 2019 He did not give more details about the operation. Mahmoud Alavi, intelligence minister of Iran, declared that the rescue operation occurred with the lowest possible casualties. Also, Alavi said: "Tehran had refused the conditions set by the terrorists" for the diplomat's release." Return On March 5, 2015, he moved to Mehrabad international airport and returned to his family, where he was greeted by his family and some Iranian officials. See also 1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats References 30em Category:Terrorist incidents in Yemen in 2013 Category:2015 in Yemen Category:Diplomatic incidents Category:Iran–Yemen relations Category:Kidnappings in Yemen Category:Kidnapped Iranian people Category:Military operations involving Iran Category:Kidnapped diplomats Category:Military operations involving Yemen Category:Sanaa in the Yemeni civil war (2014–present) Category:Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Category:July 2013 crimes in Asia Category:Crime in Sanaa Category:Yemeni crisis Category:Kidnapping in the 2010s Category:Terrorist incidents against Shia Muslims in the 2010s