Italian tourists seized in Egypt

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

Five Italian tourists have been kidnapped in Egypt, along with other foreigners, Italy's government says.

"Foreign Minister Franco Frattini... is following the kidnapping in Egypt of a group of foreigners including five Italians," the foreign ministry said.

Reuters news agency cited Egyptian security sources saying 10-15 people were taken in Aswan in southern Egypt - possibly including two Israelis.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7629171.stm

[billyoc]

1. for not tipping.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Oh ha ha

Very droll. :rofl:

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Europeans kidnapped in Egyptian desert near Sudan

Source: Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Kidnappers seized 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians during a Sahara desert safari to Gilf al-Kebir, a giant plateau famed for its prehistoric cave paintings, officials said Monday. The tour company was negotiating with the captors, who demanded millions of dollars in ransom.

The group of five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian were seized Friday along with their Egyptian guides and drivers while camping near the Sudanese border, Egyptian Tourism Minister Zoheir Garana said. Government spokesman Magdi Rady said it was feared the kidnappers had taken the captives into Sudan.

Only a few intrepid visitors make the daunting trek of more than a week in 4X4s across the desert to the Gilf, which lies near Egypt's borders with Libya and Sudan beyond a vast plain of dunes known as the Great Sand Sea. It is one of the most arid places on Earth.

Gilf al-Kebir has become increasingly popular among adventure and eco-tourists drawn by the stark desert landscapes and the prehistoric paintings in caves that dot the plateau. They include the "Cave of the Swimmers," immortalized in the 1996 movie "The English Patient." The cave features 10,000-year-old paintings of people swimming, a hallmark of a time when scientists believe parts of the Sahara were covered by lakes and rivers.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_KIDNAPPED_TOURISTS?SITE=FLSTU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[UndertheOcean]

4. Damn