MOSCOW, January 5 (Sputnik) — The Shia Houthi rebel group has kidnapped 30 people from the northern district of Yemen's capital Sanaa, a tribal spokesperson told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
According to an unnamed source quoted by the Turkish news outlet, Houthi militants kidnapped 30 Arhab tribespeople, including children, and fled in an unknown direction. Two people sustained serious gunshot injuries.
The northern Sanaa tribe has not yet reported receiving any demands from the rebel group.
Earlier on Monday, an explosion damaged a Houthi base in Sanaa. Another blast south of the capital killed at least four rebels at a regional headquarters on Sunday.
The Ansar Allah insurgency, widely known as the Houthis, staged mass protest rallies across Yemen last August in response to the government's decision to cut fuel subsidies, sending prices soaring. The unrest led to the subsequent ouster of the Yemeni government under former Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa in September.
The group has seized control of Sanaa and made advances into the central and western parts of Yemen, leveling accusations at the incumbent government for discriminating against and marginalizing the Arab country's Shia community.
