A guard at the Italian Embassy in Yemen was kidnapped on Sunday in broad daylight in the capital, Sana, an official from Italy’s Foreign Ministry said.

The official, who asked to remain unnamed, said the guard was an Italian citizen and a member of the Carabinieri, Italy’s paramilitary police force. The official did not provide more details, saying discretion was imperative while the man’s location was being determined.

News agencies and local news outlets reported that armed men grabbed the guard, who was not immediately identified, close to the Italian Embassy in the diplomatic neighborhood of southwest Sana, and drove off with him in a car. No one immediately took responsibility for the kidnapping.

The episode underscored the continuing deterioration of security in Yemen, where the government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who took office in February, has struggled to assert its authority in the face of rampant gangsterism, tribal skirmishes and encroachment by militants linked to Al Qaeda.