German, wife kidnapped in Somalia

A German citizen and his local wife have been taken hostage in north of violence-plagued Somalia, a local official has said.

"They were heading to visit his in-laws. They took them towards the hills to the east. We have sent many troops to save them," Muse Gelle Yusuf, governor of the northern port town of Bosasso stated.

Yusuf added that the German, whom he refused to identify, had been in the town for several weeks, spending time with his wife's family.

Yusub Mohamed, a relative of the abducted woman, saw the kidnappers stop the couple's vehicle.

"They grabbed the German and his wife at gunpoint and drove them away," he said.

The kidnapping of foreigners and aid workers for ransom is common in lawless Somalia, where there has not been an effective central government since former dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.

Last month, pirates from the north of the Horn of Africa country freed two German hostages who they had held hostage since June. A member of the gang said a ransom of USD 1 million had been paid.

Source:Press TV