U.S. confirms 2 Americans kidnapped in Sinai

AP

Last Updated 2:32 p.m. ET

(CBS/AP) EL-ARISH, Egypt - A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Cairo confirmed that two Americans have been abducted in the Sinai peninsula.

Egyptian officials in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula said the tourists - a man and a woman - were abducted along with their Egyptian tour guide by a Bedouin seeking to pressure officials to release his detained relative.

The kidnapping occurred in a mountainous region in the center of the peninsula called Sabr el-Hitan.

A State Department spokesperson in Cairo confirmed the abduction and said, "We are in close touch with Egyptian authorities who are doing everything they can to bring about their safe release."

Security officials say the Bedouin man abducted the tourists to pressure authorities to release his uncle detained in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria. The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Sinai has seen a series of kidnappings over the past year. Abducted tourists are rarely harmed and usually released within 24 hours.

[forumcomments]

Apparently a growing blogging moderator company called My Discuss doesn't believe in the 1st amendment and also doesn't adhere to their own policies. They contuinue to regulate comments on CNN.com and bloomberg.com that are in compliance with these websites blogging policies.

[kroguej]

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm planning a backpacking trip to the mountainous region of Afghanistan. Whatever happened to traveling to civilized places?

[jnostromo]

Obviously these tourists are oblivious to the world today...