Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Yemen freed

An Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Yemen has been freed and returned to Tehran on Thursday, Press TV reported.
Nour-Ahmad Nikbakht was seized in July 2013 while leaving his home in Sanaa by gunmen suspected of being members of Al-Qaeda.
He reportedly arrived at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Thursday.
"A special team from the Intelligence Ministry was able to free Nikbakht from the clutches of terrorists in a series of complex and difficult operations in a very particular part of Yemen," IRNA quoted deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying.
Nikbakht was the second high-profile hostage to be freed in Yemen this week. A Saudi Arabian diplomat kidnapped in 2012 was released on Monday, after being held by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Yemen has plunged deeper into turmoil since the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim Houthi group seized control of the capital in September last year.