EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — An Egyptian security official says armed Bedouin tribesmen have kidnapped a Hungarian member of the multinational observer force in Sinai.
The observer was released several hours after the kidnapping, and the kidnappers said they did not know he was a member of the international peacekeeping force.
An official with the force had confirmed the kidnapping of the Hungarian who was traveling Thursday in a bus from el-Arish in north Sinai to Cairo.
The security official said the kidnappers demanded the release of a member of their tribe arrested earlier on drug-related charges. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
It is rare that members of the 12-nation force stationed in the Sinai are abducted by local tribesmen, who often briefly hold tourists to negotiate with the government over the release of imprisoned tribesmen. The largest contingent in the Sinai force is American.
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On Thursday, an American tourist was also nabbed in Sinai, the German news agency DPA reported. The gunmen said the tourist was being held as a chip to gain the release of relatives from prison.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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