Abducted German family freed in Yemen

December 31, 2005 Jürgen Chrobog, former state secretary in the German Foreign Office, his wife and their three sons have been freed, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier confirmed at a press conference.

Steinmeier said the family was doing well. They were abducted on Wednesday in the east of the country while being on a tourism trip on the invitation of the Yemeni government. The captors were demanding the release of five tribesmen held by the government. The Yemeni defense minister was apparently the one who was able to negotiate the release.