The official said the husband, wife and son were seized at 6 pm Tuesday on the road from the town of Dhammar to the capital Sanaa. But western diplomats said they believed the three were friends and not family.

The tribesman have taken the trio to the Bidbida valley, some 140 kilometres to the east of Sanaa. No information on their identity or well-being was immediately available.

Tribal sources said the kidnappers belong to the Bani Jabr tribe, who have carried out a series of kidnappings of foreigners. Kidnappings are common in Yemen, with more than 170 foreigners, mostly Westerners, taken hostage by unruly tribes over the past six years.