Relatives Of Egypt Kidnap Victims Wait, Hope

Two Massachusetts families are hoping to receive word soon that an Egyptian Bedouin has released three people he kidnapped on the Sinai Peninsula.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Egypt says Egyptian officials are negotiating directly with Jirmy Abu-Masuh, the man who abducted Dorchester pastor Michel Louis, 61, and Everett woman Lisa Alphonse, 39, along with their tour guide, on Friday.

Daniel Louis, the son of Michel Louis, says his father was with about two dozen Boston-area residents on an annual missionary trip through Egypt to Israel.

“They've never had problems in the past. And so, we're just, honestly just staying in good faith and praying for their safe return,” Daniel Louis said.

Louis says his family is concerned about his father's diabetes.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown says his staff members are acting as liaisons between the State Department and the families of both kidnapping victims.

Brown says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's unrelated visit to Cairo Saturday likely helped to put additional pressure on Egyptian authorities to win the kidnap victims' release.