CAIRO: Friends of the spokesman for Yemen鈥檚 Bahai religious minority say he has been detained by Houthi militias who control the country鈥檚 north.
Two friends of Abdullah Yahia Al-Ayolofi said Friday that unidentified men snatched Al-Ayolofi from a market in a district called Al-Jarraf in Sanaa on Thursday. His whereabouts remain unknown, they said.
A security official tells The Associated Press that Houthi militiamen seized Al-Ayolofi earlier in the week.
Al-Ayolofi, a convert to Bahaism, has been outspoken about Houthi abuses against Bahai followers.
All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
The Houthis鈥� leader has targeted Bahais in public speeches describing them as 鈥渟atanic鈥� and several Bahais have been detained, tortured and held incommunicado, according to the community鈥檚 United Nations representative.