"A Swiss woman was abducted in Hodeida (on the Red Sea coast) by armed men who moved her to Shabwa province," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"According to our information, Al-Qaeda is responsible for the abduction," he added.
According to the official, the kidnappers are "demanding the release of two Al-Qaeda militants detained in Hodeida." He gave no further details.
A security official also blamed Al-Qaeda for the abduction.
"The kidnapping bears the hallmark of Al-Qaeda," he told AFP.
According to him, only a well-organised group such as Al-Qaeda could have undertaken such an operation, which involved abducting the woman in Hodeida and then moving her across three provinces to Shabwa.
Shabwa is a stronghold of loyalists of the jihadists` local affiliate Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), whose militants fight under the banner of Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law).
The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed that a Swiss national had been abducted in Yemen, in a statement released on Friday.
The identity of the victim was not revealed, but the Swiss foreign ministry said it was informed of the abduction late on Wednesday and immediately made contact with the competent authorities in Yemen.
Last year, Switzerland urged its citizens in Yemen to leave the country.
In May, the Islamist militants took control of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province which neighbours Shabwa, as well as several other southern towns, triggering months of deadly fighting with government forces. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
