A soldiers stand guard in front of Amideast, an American institute where a British teacher used to teach before he went missing in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014.

An American held in Yemen was flown to Oman on Sunday in the first leg of his journey home after he was released in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, the Omani state new agency ONA reported.

Oman has kept good ties with the Iran-backed Houthi militia group who control much of northern Yemen by taking a neutral stand in the 19-month-old war that has drawn an Arab coalition into the conflict.

The man was flown on an Omani royal air force jet that also evacuated a group of wounded Yemenis for treatment in the Gulf Arab sultanate.

It did not identify the American or give any details on when and why he was held in Yemen. But some media outlets have reported that a US citizen was in detention in Yemen on charges of spying.

Last month, Oman – a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council – helped free two Americans held by Yemen’s Houthis. They were also taken to Muscat before they returned home.

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