American Tourists Kidnapped In Egypt

The U.S. State Department is reporting that two American tourists visiting Egypt have been kidnapped at gunpoint.

The Americans were reportedly on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, in the city of Dahab, when kidnappers allegedly pulled them from their car. The kidnapping is tied to the arrest of a local man, Eid Suleiman Etaiwy, on drug charges. The kidnappers want Etaiwy released before they will surrender the Americans.

Officials told the Associated Press the armed kidnappers are Bedouins.

From the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, spokesperson Katherine Sweet told CNN;

"We are working closely with Egyptian authorities to resolve this situation."

While the State Department has not released the identities of the two Americans, a newspaper in the region has printed their passport numbers. The officials told the AP the two Americans are men in their early 30s.

The story is developing and we will be updating it as information becomes available.