A US contractor who was detained in Yemen has died, the US Department of State confirmed on Tuesday.
John Hamen was one of two US contractors detained by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia after arriving in the country in October.
The United Nations said earlier this month that two contractors who worked for a firm that managed UN facilities had been detained in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a. The two had been detained upon arriving from Djibouti by Houthi militia and army units loyal to Yemen’s former president, the UN told Reuters.
“We obviously express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.” said Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US State Department. He said the United States provided “all possible consular assistance to the family,” and that the US relied on “third parties” to retrieve Hamen’s remains.
Hamen’s LinkedIn profile lists his current occupations as “diplomatic support” and lists his former employment as US special operations command, the US army, and the Joint Communications Support Element.
Hamen’s wife, Jen, appeared to post on his Facebook page confirming his death. She wrote in the post that her family learned of her husband’s death on Friday, when several US agents visited their Virginia home. She said his body was to be flown to Dover air force base in Delaware by Monday, but did indicate what caused his death.
“Our family is heartbroken right now,” she wrote. “I have lost the love of my life, my best friend, and my 7 kids have lost the best dad ever!”
Yemen has been gripped by an ongoing conflict between Shiite Houthi rebels allied with army units loyal to a former president and a Saudi-led coalition loyal to the US-backed government. The forces supporting the government began launching airstrikes against the Houthis and their allies in March.
Reuters contributed to this report
