CAIRO, September 22 (RIA Novosti) - Abductors of 11 foreigners in the southern Egyptian desert, near the border with Sudan, have demanded a ransom for the tourists' release, the Egyptian tourism minister said Monday.
Reports of the kidnapping of five Germans, five Italians and a Romanian and their four Egyptian guides first appeared in the media Monday, but it is unclear exactly when the group was abducted.
"Talks on the payment of ransom for the release of the tourists are currently underway," Tourism Minister Zoheir Garranah said in interview with MENA news agency, without mentioning any sum.
Meanwhile, Al Arabiya news channel reported that the abductors were demanding a ransom of $15 million.
The Egyptian Tourism Ministry said earlier that the kidnappers were ordinary criminals and not part of any terrorist or extremist organization.
