Egypt: 2 British tourists freed after being kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen in Sinai

Two British tourists kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula have been freed, the BBC reported Thursday.

The middle-aged couple was released after police promised the kidnappers to release a detained relative, the Guardian reported, citing an Egyptian military intelligence official.

The couple had been traveling in a private car from the Egyptian capital of Cairo to the popular resort city Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea, the Daily Mail reported.

They had stopped to change money when they were seized.

The Independent reported tourists have been kidnapped by Bedouin in the isolated desert region in the past. The tribesmen use the tourists as leverage to pressure police to free relatives. The tourists are usually released unharmed.  

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