Japan Diplomat Stabbed in Yemen Failed Kidnapping

Police troopers check a car at the gate of a hospital where a Japanese diplomat is being treated in Sana'a, Dec. 15, 2013.

A security official in Yemen says attackers repeatedly stabbed a Japanese diplomat in the capital of Sanaa in an apparent failed kidnapping attempt.

The official said that the kidnappers attacked the diplomat on Sunday not far from the Japanese Embassy and stabbed him when he resisted them.

The official did not provide the diplomat's name but said he is in a hospital and is expected to recover.

Kidnappings are common in Yemen, where armed tribesmen and Islamic militants take hostages to trade them for prisoners or cash.