CAIRO: The 25 Chinese workers kidnapped in Egypt's central Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday have been set free, China's state media reported, quoting Chinese embassy officials. The workers were held for 15 hours before their release, and were in “good condition,” the Xinhua news agency quoted Ma Jianchum, the commercial affairs counsellor at the country's embassy in Egypt. Ma told Xinhua he met the workers at an Egyptian military hotel where they were housed after their release. “The Egyptian government attached great importance to the matter,” he was quoted as saying. “Its military leaders urged local authorities to take good care of the freed Chinese workers.” Security sources said the Chinese workers were en route to a Sinai cement factory when they were stopped and taken to a nearby tent. Bedouin had reportedly said they would block the area until their demands are met. The Bedouin being demanded release are a number of men who had been arrested during the security sweep of Sinai between 2004 and 2006 after a string of bomb attacks left more than 100 people dead. The Egyptian government arrested scores of young Bedouin men as a result, and human rights groups reported widespread torture in an effort to have the men confess to the attacks. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/wvCzM Tags: China, featured, Kidnapped, Workers Section: East Asia, Egypt, Latest News
