The two had been detained upon arriving from Djibouti, the United Nations said, by Houthi militia and army units loyal to Yemen’s former president.
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Officials gave no details of how Hamen died, but expressed the department’s deepest condolences to his relatives and friends.
News reports from Hamen’s home state of OH identified him as a U.S. army veteran from the Cincinnati area, who graduated from high school in 1990.
An American contractor died in the custody of Shiite rebel militants after landing in Yemen’s war-ridden capital on accusations of espionage, his friends and family have revealed.
‘Yesterday around 5.30pm a few people from different agencies came to our home to notify us that John had died while in detainment and then was taken to a hospital.
Hamen’s Facebook page says he is from West Chester.
His body will be returned to Dover, Delaware Air Force Base and he will be buried with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
The family was alerted Friday that he’d died, according to Jen Hamen’s Facebook post dated Saturday.
“Our family is heartbroken right now, I have lost the love of my life, my best friend, and my 7 kids have lost the best dad ever!” she added.
The contract was not with the United Nations, and USA officials said that the facility they were maintaining had previously been used by U.S. diplomats.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said Hamen was detained by rebel Houthi forces upon his arrival in Yemen, but did not disclose a cause of death.
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United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “We have been informed by the State Department of the death of one of the contractors”.
