Cairo - Up to 15 tourists have been kidnapped in Egypt, amid conflicting reports on the nationalities of the victims, media reports in the region said Monday. The television broadcaster Al-Arabiya said that 10 to 15 tourists were seized in the Upper Egyptian city of Aswan, with five of the victims being Italian nationals and possibly two others being Israelis.
A later Al-Arabiya report said that five Germans were also among the kidnap victims.
There was no official confirmation by Cairo authorities of the report, also with regards to speculation that the kidnap victims were taken across the border into Sudan.
So far, no group has come forward to claim the kidnappings.
While there was no initial reaction in the Israeli Foreign Ministry to the reports, Israeli radio said that no Israelis were among those kidnapped, but that instead the 15 victims included five Italians, five Germans, four Egyptians and one Romanian.
One week ago, Israel warned its citizens against travelling to Egypt and calling on Israelis to return home amid specific warnings about the danger of a kidnapping.