Released: two British tourists 'kidnapped' in Egypt

Two British tourists who were kidnapped in Egypt while on their way to a beach resort have been released, reports the BBC.

The pair, thought to be a husband and wife aged 51 and 49, were travelling by car from Cairo to the popular tourist hotspot of Sharm el-Sheik when they were seized by gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula.

According to the AFP news agency, the Bedouin kidnappers told reporters they wanted the release of four people held over arms trafficking.

The Independent reports that an Egyptian military intelligence official said the tourists had been freed just hours after their kidnapping.

The official added that the British couple is safe and in a security building in Ras Sidr in southern Sinai.

He explained that the couple was freed after police promised the Bedouin they would release a detained relative who had been arrested and accused of smuggling weapons from Libya to Egypt.

The newspaper added that the official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to release the information.