US citizen reportedly kidnapped in Yemen

By Ali Owaida

MARIB, Yemen

A U.S. citizen has been kidnapped in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the Houthi-run Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said Danny Lavone Burch, 50, an oil worker, was taken hostage on Saturday.

The ministry said investigations were underway to identify the kidnappers.

There was no comment from U.S. authorities on the report.

U.S. media said Burch has been working in Yemen since 1994. A father of three, he converted to Islam and married a Yemeni woman.

The Shia Houthi group overran Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces in 2014, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government to temporarily flee to Saudi Arabia.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.