<p>Shiite militiamen in control of Yemen's capital today seized President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's chief of staff in a new challenge to his leadership of the violence-plagued country.<br /><br /><br />The abduction of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who heads a "national dialogue" on Yemen's political transition, came shortly before he was to attend a meeting on a proposed new constitution opposed by the Huthi militia.<br /><br /><br />Yemen has been dogged by instability since the ouster in 2012 of strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, with the Huthis and Al-Qaeda seeking to fill the power vacuum.<br /><br /><br />The Huthis are widely believed to be backed by Saleh.<br /><br /><br />Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) also has a record of acting well beyond its Yemeni base, and claimed responsibility for the January 7 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people.<br /><br /><br />Yemeni authorities today said they had arrested two Frenchmen for questioning over suspected Al-Qaeda links.<br /><br /><br />The Charlie Hebdo attackers, French brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, are known to have trained with Al-Qaeda in Yemen.<br /><br /><br />"There are around 1,000 Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen from 11 Arab and non-Arab countries," national security service chief General Mohammed al-Ahmadi told reporters today.<br /><br /><br />Mubarak and several companions in his armoured car were stopped by militiamen in Huthi tribal clothes in the southern Hada district, a witness said.<br /><br /><br />He was seized and driven to an unknown location, an official from the national dialogue secretariat told AFP.<br /></p>.<p>Ahmadi said talks were under way to secure his release.<br /><br /><br />In a statement, the militia said Mubarak's detention was necessary to prevent a UN-brokered agreement between the presidency and them in September "from being broken," without clarifying Mubarak's role.<br /><br /><br />The "national peace and partnership agreement" was signed in September as the Huthis overran Sanaa.<br /><br /><br />It called for forming a new government and appointing Huthi advisors to Hadi, and demanded the Shiite militiamen withdraw from key state institutions they had seized.<br />Mubarak's kidnap came just before a meeting of the national dialogue secretariat to present a draft constitution that stipulates dividing Yemen into a six-region federation, which the Huthis oppose.<br /><br /><br />Political sources told AFP representatives of the Huthis and Saleh's General People's Congress party walked out of a meeting headed by Hadi today to discuss the political process, including the constitution.</p>
<p>Shiite militiamen in control of Yemen's capital today seized President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's chief of staff in a new challenge to his leadership of the violence-plagued country.<br /><br /><br />The abduction of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, who heads a "national dialogue" on Yemen's political transition, came shortly before he was to attend a meeting on a proposed new constitution opposed by the Huthi militia.<br /><br /><br />Yemen has been dogged by instability since the ouster in 2012 of strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, with the Huthis and Al-Qaeda seeking to fill the power vacuum.<br /><br /><br />The Huthis are widely believed to be backed by Saleh.<br /><br /><br />Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) also has a record of acting well beyond its Yemeni base, and claimed responsibility for the January 7 attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people.<br /><br /><br />Yemeni authorities today said they had arrested two Frenchmen for questioning over suspected Al-Qaeda links.<br /><br /><br />The Charlie Hebdo attackers, French brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, are known to have trained with Al-Qaeda in Yemen.<br /><br /><br />"There are around 1,000 Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen from 11 Arab and non-Arab countries," national security service chief General Mohammed al-Ahmadi told reporters today.<br /><br /><br />Mubarak and several companions in his armoured car were stopped by militiamen in Huthi tribal clothes in the southern Hada district, a witness said.<br /><br /><br />He was seized and driven to an unknown location, an official from the national dialogue secretariat told AFP.<br /></p>.<p>Ahmadi said talks were under way to secure his release.<br /><br /><br />In a statement, the militia said Mubarak's detention was necessary to prevent a UN-brokered agreement between the presidency and them in September "from being broken," without clarifying Mubarak's role.<br /><br /><br />The "national peace and partnership agreement" was signed in September as the Huthis overran Sanaa.<br /><br /><br />It called for forming a new government and appointing Huthi advisors to Hadi, and demanded the Shiite militiamen withdraw from key state institutions they had seized.<br />Mubarak's kidnap came just before a meeting of the national dialogue secretariat to present a draft constitution that stipulates dividing Yemen into a six-region federation, which the Huthis oppose.<br /><br /><br />Political sources told AFP representatives of the Huthis and Saleh's General People's Congress party walked out of a meeting headed by Hadi today to discuss the political process, including the constitution.</p>