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Egypt:Tourist kidnappers heavily armed, say media reports
(AKI) - The kidnappers of the 19 tourists abducted in southern Egypt last week are heavily armed, according to government-backed daily Al-Ahram. Al-Ahram said there are at least four kidnappers and they are armed with RPG rocket-launchers.The five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian tourist were visiting the remote desert Gilf al-Kebir area near the Sudanese border when they were abducted last Friday. The captors are believed to have taken the tourists across the border to Sudan. The kidnappers, whose nationality is uncertain, are demanding a ransom of up to 15 million dollars for the tourists' release, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported. It is the first time tourists have been abducted in Egypt, a country that was the target of Islamist militant bombings and shootings of tourists during the 1990s. Italian and German diplomats are working closely with Egyptian officials to free the kidnapped tourists. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-26 |
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