Two Kidnapped American Women Released in Egypt
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iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(CAIRO) — Two American women kidnapped in Egypt were released Friday, hours after they were seized by Bedouin gunmen, Egyptian government TV reported.
The women and their Egyptian guide were snatched earlier in the day as they traveled south from Saint Catherine’s monastery on Mount Sinai to the Red Sea resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian officials said.
The Egyptian newspaper, Al Masry Alyoum reported that the van carried several tourists and that the Americans were taken out of the vehicle and three other tourists were left behind.
The kidnapping appeared to not be terror related. They were released several hours later, according to Egypt’s Channel One.
The American women were not immediately identified, but Egyptian officials said they were age 60 and 65. The nationalities of those left behind were not immediately known.
The kidnappers are described by authorities as Bedouin tribesmen who were demanding the release of other Bedouins who were arrested earlier this week on drug and robbery charges.
Earlier this week, Bedouins kidnapped 25 Chinese workers in Sinai. They were released unharmed the following day.
In recent months, Egypt has seen an surge of violence as the security situation deteriorates in the wake of the ouster of former U.S. ally President Hosni Mubarak. This comes as thousands of protesters in Cairo begin to march on the Ministry of Interior building to protest this week’s violent soccer stadium riots that left at least 74 people dead. Soccer fans blame the violence on the lack of security at the game.
Since the ouster of Mubarak as part of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings, stability in the country has nosedived and as a result, the country’s key industry, tourism, has taken a hit. Revenues have plunged nearly 30 percent in the last year. Tourism Minister Mounir Abdel-Nour said last month that the number of tourists who came to Egypt in 2011 dropped to 9.8 million from 14.7 million the previous year. As the security situation further deteriorates, the number of tourists will likely continue to drop.
Tourism revenues for the year clocked in at $8.8 billion compared to $12.5 billion in 2010.
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