Tourists' captor to hold "guests" until uncle free

Pastor Michel Louis

Updated 8:43 PM ET

(CBS/AP) CAIRO - The Egyptian Bedouin who abducted two Boston natives and their guide on Friday vowed he would take more hostages of different nationalities if police do not release his uncle from prison.

Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone, Jirmy Abu-Masuh of the Tarbeen tribe in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, said the captives would remain safe, but that more would be abducted if his uncle is not released.

"If my uncle gets 50 years (in prison), they will stay with me for 50 years. If they release him, I will release them," he said of the captives. "Tomorrow I will kidnap other nationalities and their embassies will be notified for the whole world to know."

Abu-Masuh, a 32-year-old truck driver, said the American man, 61, and woman, 39, were treated as "guests" and given tea, coffee and a traditional lamb dinner reserved for special occasions in Bedouin culture. He said that the man is a pastor from Massachusetts and that he had been allowed to call his wife.

Lissa Alphonse

/ WBZ

CBS affiliate WBZ Boston reported that the identities of the hostages are Pastor Michel Louis and Lissa Alphonse.

The son of Rev. Michel Louis told The Associated Press on Saturday that his father was on a church group trip to retrace Jesus' steps through the Holy Land when he was abducted. Along with him, a 39-year-old Boston woman in the group and a tour guide were kidnapped Friday when an Egyptian Bedouin stopped their bus on a road linking Cairo to Mount Sinai.

Louis' son, Rev. Jean Louis, said the family is concerned about all three and does not want to discuss communications with the U.S. government so as not to jeopardize their chances for release.

"I told them, 'Nothing will happen to you. You are my guest,'" he said.

The two Americans could not be immediately reached for comment. Abu-Masuh said they were asleep in his home located deep in central Sinai's rugged mountains.

U.S. confirms 2 Americans kidnapped in Sinai

The two Americans were abducted in broad daylight when Abu-Masuh stopped the tour bus they were in with dozens of other tourists along a major road linking Cairo to the sixth-century St. Catherine's Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai where the Old Testament says Moses received the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments. The route to the monastery is a frequent target by Bedouins who abduct tourists to pressure police to meet their demands, which is usually to release of a detained relative they say has been unjustly arrested.

While armed, Abu-Masuh said he told the man and woman to get off the bus and took their Egyptian tour guide with them to translate.

"The Americans with me are scared, but we were treated well," tour guide Haytham Ragab, 28, told the AP from the captor's phone.

Ragab said he is not allowed to use his own mobile phone except by permission from his captor.

"I want this solved," Ragab said, his voice quivering. "I tried to calm them (the Americans) and tried to calm myself, but I don't know what's to come next."

U.S. Embassy spokesman David Linfield said the embassy was looking into the kidnapping and working closely with Egyptian authorities who were doing everything to ensure their safe release.

Friday's abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula over the past year. Abducted tourists are rarely harmed and usually released within days. In February, the AP interviewed two American women from California who say their Bedouin kidnappers gave them tea and dried fruit, and talked about religion and tribal rights. They were allowed to bring their Egyptian tour guide with them.

Abu-Masuh said he wants police to release his 62-year-old uncle, who he said suffers from back and heart problems and diabetes. He said his uncle was arrested Sunday on his way to the northern coastal city of Alexandria after refusing to pay a nearly 100-dollar bribe to police who stopped him along the way. The story could not immediately verified.

"These police are the same traitors of the Mubarak regime. Nothing has changed," he said, referring to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's widely-mistrusted security forces. Mubarak was toppled in a popular uprising last year partly fueled by anger at police brutality and corruption.

"I hate the security forces and honestly they made me hate being Egyptian, too," he said.

Bedouins in Sinai, a region that borders the Gaza Strip and Israel, have long complained of state discrimination against them. They say they are never given high-level posts in the military and frequently harassed by police. Many are unemployed and some turn to cross-border smuggling of people and weapons for survival.

Security officials said Friday they were working on releasing Abu-Masuh's uncle. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Abu-Masuh said that Egypt's Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri called him personally and asked him to release the Americans "who are guests in our country."

He said his uncle called him from prison pleading the same and fearing police might arrest his children or wife to pressure Abu-Masuh.

"People ask me what did these Americans do to deserve this. I ask, what did my uncle do to deserve this?" he said.

[smittyc]

Oh well these things happen, what can you do?

[Sbignewski]

Sounds like Mr. Abu-Masuh is a right old-fashioned gentleman. 12th century, perhaps, but a thoughtful gentleman nonetheless. I hope he survives! These well-to-do Bostonians (who can afford "vacations" in Egypt) may actually GET what they said they came for...(a REAL cross-cultural experience). My best wishes for them too.

[WoodenU]

Note to self: Do not vacation in countries that are currently having a revolution.

[conradweis]

Not sure who those two were pimpin in Egypt, but they were exploiting somebody. Keep em locked up a few years, who cares. hahaha

[rwsmith29456]

Maybe he has his reasons, but why involve the U.S.?? Though this guarantees that he will gain attention, it may not be the kind of attention he wants.

[Valhalla0907]

A wise lady who immigrated from Ukraine once told me she would never travel outside the United States again! I hope the American captives are treated humanely and returned safely. I can't help but think they have a better shot than someone kidnapped in South America.

[EmpireGeorge______--]

pay this camel jockey a visit.

[nohater]

american idiots for being in an unfriendly nation state and region. idiots.

[gadfly65]

Not that it justifies his actions, but Abu-Musah may be right in claiming that his uncle has been treated unjustly; Egypt is unique in the Arab world in its disdain for Bedouins.

[Vet60]

Some countries will always be the third world.