FP News Features

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Egyptian security: Armed tribesmen kidnap 3 Korean tourists in Sinai

By: Ashraf Sweilam, The Associated Press

Posted: 02/10/2012 8:57 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/10/2012 1:52 PM

AL-ARISH, Egypt - Armed tribesmen stopped a tourist bus and kidnapped three Korean women and their guide in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Friday, the region's security chief said.

It was the latest in a series of kidnappings in Sinai, which has seen a surge in lawlessness over the last year as armed tribes and Islamist militants asserted their power and clashed with security forces.

Maj. Gen. Mohammed Naguib, security chief of the south Sinai governorate, said the tourists were abducted around 20 miles (30 kilometres) from the sixth-century St. Catherine's Monastery, close to where two Americans were taken last week.

In both incidents, tribesmen took some of the passengers from a tour vehicle while leaving others behind.

Naguib later said security officials were trying to negotiate a release with the captor, Ali Dikheil, who he said was imprisoned for drug and weapons crimes but broke out during the popular uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak on Feb. 11, 2011.

The captor was seeking the release of Salim Oda, who was arrested Thursday morning after a failed attempt to rob a bank two days earlier in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Naguib said.

Tribesmen often abduct tourists to use in negotiations with the government over the release of imprisoned colleagues. The tourists are rarely harmed.

Other tribesmen briefly kidnapped 18 Egyptian security guards on Thursday to protest the killing of one of their clan. After holding negotiations with tribal leaders, the kidnappers freed the guards, one of the security officials said.

The two American women abducted last week said afterward that their captors served them tea and dried fruit.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More FP News Features

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.