YEMEN

U.S., EU Diplomats Rescued by Helicopter

After being surrounded in embassy by armed Saleh supporters.

American, British, and European Union ambassadors were rescued via helicopter Sunday, after being trapped in a Yemen embassy by gunmen reportedly angry about the effort to remove President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power. Senior State Department officials confirmed U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein was being held, and Feierstein said the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates were also trapped in the embassy. Saleh had agreed to sign a deal announcing his resignation Sunday, but has since refused to recognize his opposition’s signature—further delaying his departure. Saleh has been in power in Yemen for 33 years, and thousands of his supporters have turned out to support him at the presidential palace—blockading his exit and saying they would not let him resign.