Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an administrative staff member of the Iranian Embassy in

Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

, was kidnapped by

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في جزيرة العرب, Tanẓīm al-Qā‘idah fī Jazīrat al-‘Arab, lit=Organization of the Base in the Arabian Peninsula or , ''Tanẓīm Qā‘idat al-Jihād fī Jaz� ...

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. He was held hostage for two years and released in March 2015 in exchange for five al-Qaeda leaders. 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. 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." 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. Nour Ahmad Nikbakht

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Hossein Amir-Abdollahian ( fa, حسین امیرعبداللهیان; born 1964) is an Iranian politician, diplomat and current foreign minister of Iran. He was formerly the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs from 2011 to 2016. ...

, deputy of foreign minister, explained that intelligence officers carried out a difficult and complicated rescue operation. He did not give more details about the operation.

Mahmoud Alavi Al-Zobb Mahmoud Alavi ( fa, محمود علوی; born 4 May 1954) is an Iranian conservative politician, and formerly minister of intelligence in Hassan Rouhani's government. Early life Alavi was born in Lamerd, Fars province, in 1954. He ho ...

, intelligence minister of Iran, declared that the rescue operation occurred with the lowest possible casualties. Also, Alavi said: "

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

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.

References