German girls kidnapped for year in Yemen head home after Saudi rescue

Rescued German girls leave Saudi for home

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi government has announced that two young German girls rescued after yearlong kidnap ordeal in Yemen are heading back to Germany.

The statement issued Wednesday said the two girls were flying with four German officials and three family members, including an aunt.

The girls were kidnapped a year ago with their family in the restive northern Yemeni province of Saada. The whereabouts of their parents and brother remain unknown. Three other people traveling with them have turned up dead.

Saudi forces, working with the Yemen government, rescued them near the border on Monday.

The Saudi government said the girls were in good health. Al-Qaida has been implicated in the attack.