Germany's envoy in Yemen escaped a kidnapping attempt Sunday in the capital Sanaa during which her bodyguard was killed, a diplomatic source told AFP.

Ambassador Carola Müller-Holtkemper's bodyguard was shot dead as he tried to protect her from gunmen who attempted to kidnap the envoy as she left a store in Sanaa's southern Hada district, where foreign embassies are located, the source said.