American pastor and two other hostages, kidnapped in Sinia, released by their Egyptian captors

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- Kidnappers in Egypt have released two Americans, one of them a pastor, and their Egyptian tour guide, after holding them hostage for three days, news source stated Monday.

Mohamed Fadel, writing for the online presence of CNN in a report to which CNN's Salma Abdelaziz and Ed Payne contributed, cited Gen. Ahmed Bakr, head of security in northern Sinai.

"They are at security headquarters with us now, in good condition. The negotiations succeeded, but we did not give in to the kidnappers' demands," said Gen. Bakr.

Pastor Michel Louis, from Boston, was released after two days. (Photo via Google Images).

CNN reported the Americans were happy and relieved to be free.

"We are heading directly to Israel to join the members of our church as soon as we get our passports sent to us from Cairo," said Michel Louis, the pastor of a Pentecostal church in Boston.

"I tell my family I am in good health and in good spirits, but I have not taken my medicine since Friday, so I am a little tired.”

Family members had previously said that Louis suffers from diabetes and they weren't sure if he had his medicine with him, according to the CNN report.

Lisa Alphonse, a parishioner at another American church, said the group was "treated really well," the CNN report said.

Earlier Monday, a senior Egyptian government official told CNN that intelligence officers had visited with the alleged kidnapper, Germy Abu Masouh, on Friday and on Sunday, and communicated with him by phone. 

"We saw the hostages, who seemed to be composed, but in a state of shock and fatigue from the grueling heat, especially Michel Louis, who said he had suffered a minor diabetic attack and avoids eating much," the official said before the hostages' release.

CNN said that Abu Masouh, a member of a prominent Bedouin tribe in the Sinai, had said he wanted Egyptian police to free his uncle, whom Bakr said had been caught in Alexandria, Egypt, with a half-ton of drugs. 

CNN also reported that family members said the two Americans and their guide were taken hostage Friday when gunmen boarded their tour bus, which was on its way to Israel.

Louis offered himself as a hostage after gunmen took the female parishioner, his son, the Rev. Jean Louis, told CNN on Monday.

"Being the leader of the missionary group, my mom said that ... he stood up and he just asked that they leave the lady and take him. So this is why there's two people in addition to the translator detained right now somewhere in Egypt," he said. Michel Louis' wife was on the bus when the kidnapping occurred.

Jean Louis told CNN the family was not aware of security concerns about travel across the Sinai, where Americans had been kidnapped and swiftly released in two separate incidents since February.

"If we were aware, I would believe we would use correct judgment not to enter that area," Louis said.

According to the CNN report, Bakr earlier said the situation was "partially the fault of the travel agency," which he said had not informed police of their route. If it had, "we would have sent a police escort," he said.

Kidnappings and armed robberies have increased since the ‘Arab Spring’ popular uprising which ousted Egypt's long-ruling dictator, Hosni Mubarak, last year.

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** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter