A Yemeni tribal leader whose tribe claimed responsibility for kidnapping a Japanese engineer has denied any links to al-Qaeda.Sheik Nazih al-Hanaq says the al-Arhab tribe kidnapped the Japanese engineer on Nov. 15 to force the government to release one of their members from prison.
He told the Associated Press Sunday that the man had been moved to the al-Jawf province, 109 miles (175 kilometers) east of the capital.
He says the tribe refused an offer by mediators to release their tribesman in one week if they free the engineer.
The identity of the engineer has been withheld by the Japanese Embassy.
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