Security officials in Yemen say gunmen have abducted President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's chief of staff.
Authorities say the gunmen kidnapped Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak and his bodyguards Saturday in the capital, Sana'a, when their car stopped in traffic.
Officials say they suspect the assailants are Shi'ite Houthi rebels.
The Houthi militia group controls Sana'a and other regions throughout the country.
Shi'ite Houthi rebels seized the capital last September and have clashed with militants from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other allied Sunni tribesmen.
The Yemeni capital has been the site of numerous bombings and other attacks as various groups wrestle for power in a country that has struggled with security since the popular uprising three years ago that ousted longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Some information for this report is from AP, Reuters and AFP.
