CAIRO: Egypt security sources said they were boosting efforts to release two American tourists kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday along with their Egyptian tour guide. The country's state media said that the trio was still close to where they were taken in central Sinai. Security sources told state media they “confirmed that continuous efforts are being made in order to determine the whereabouts of the Americans and the Egyptian tour guide on one hand, and to release them in coordination with tribal leaders and the families in the region.” Security sources on Friday said they were demanding an exchange of hostages for the tourists, one man and one woman. According to reports, the two had been in a car with their Egyptian guide when tribesmen attacked the vehicle and grabbed them, nearly one month after a Singaporean tourist was snatched in the Peninsula. Kidnappings are becoming more commonplace in an area where Egyptian security forces are limited. All those taken hostage have been released unharmed, even commenting on the positive treatment they received. The Bedouin, who feel disenfranchised by decades of neglect from the central government in Cairo, have upped their pressure by nabbing foreign tourists in order to push for the release of tribesmen detained, most often not charged, by Egypt's security. This is not the first time US citizens have been take. In May, two American tourists were kidnapped near the Red Sea resort of Dahab. They were released after less than 24 hours in captivity.
