Boston pastor snatched by Bedouin kidnapper in Egypt
Boston pastor Rev. Michel Louis, 61, and two fellow travelers were kidnapped in Egypt on Sunday, while on an annual religious pilgrimage. The travelers were taken hostage while traveling by bus on the road from Cairo to the Monastery of St. Catherine, a popular pilgrimage destination.
AP reported that Jirmy Abu Masuh, the Bedouin kidnapper, was seeking release for an uncle that he claimed was being held by Egyptian’s government in Cairo for refusing to pay a police bribe.
AP says that Bedouin kidnappers have traditionally taken tourists from this region to obtain release of relatives from Egyptian prisons. There is no indication that the kidnapping is connected to Islamic fundamental groups. Northern Sinai government officials are said to be working with US counterparts to obtain the hostages’ release.
Louis’ family has told the press that the pastor is diabetic. He had medicine with him on the bus which was left behind when he and the two others, a 39-year old woman from Boston and a tour guide, were taken.
The kidnapping was announced in the press over the weekend at the same time that US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was booed outside of the newly re-opened US Consulate in Alexandria. Protestors threw shoes (a traditional sign of disrespect in the Middle East) and shouted "Monica, Monica!"
Egypt’s newly elected President, Mohamed Morsi, has publicly supported international tourism to the country.
Rev. John Louis, the pastor’s son told AP, "In spirit, we are confident, we believe in God and we know that our God is active and is real and is gonna intervene on our behalf."
Gretchen Kelly
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