Kidnapped In Yemen

After Xerox executive Mary Quin survived a kidnapping by Islamic extremists in Yemen, she sought to uncover the truth about her abductors and their motives, and documented the process in her groundbreaking book, Kidnapped in Yemen. At the moment when Quin ripped an AK-47 from the hands of a wounded kidnapper and made her escape in the Yemen desert, she knew her life could never be the same. She and 15 fellow tourists had been used as human shields in a terrifying gun battle between the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army and Yemeni troops. When the shooting stopped, four hostages and three kidnappers were dead. In Kidnapped in Yemen, the author details her experiences as an avid traveller and women's rights advocate, a fulfilling life filled with exotic adventures that led to a tour of Yemen, one of the most conservative Islamic countries in the world. But her exotic vacation quickly turned into a gripping account of ambush and captivity, violence and imminent death. Lucky to be among those who survived the rescue unharmed, Mary next encountered a barrage of media attention, including an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.She attempted to resume her corporate career but found herself preoccupied with trying to understand why the kidnapping occurred. Her fascinating personal journey through murky militant Islam and clandestine terrorist groups led her back to Yemen to try and piece together the puzzle - talking to then Yemen Prime Minister Abdel Karim al-Iryani, British embassy staff, the FBI, prisoners accused of terrorism, and others involved in the kidnapping and the disastrous aftermath of the rescue. Her inquiries also took her to London to meet Abu Hamza al-Masri, the cleric with a glass eye and two hooks for hands who is the stepfather and father to the two men whom the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army were trying to free by kidnapping Mary and her fellow tourists. Kidnapped in Yemen is the unforgettable first-hand account of this remarkable woman's unusual story of curiosity, survival and healing.