EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Military and police officials in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula say two U.S. tourists have been abducted by a Bedouin seeking to pressure officials to release his detained relative.

Officials say the two Americans, a man and a woman, were taken Friday along with their Egyptian tour guide, in a mountainous region in the center of the peninsula called Sabr el-Hitan. U.S. Embassy spokesman David Lynnfield said the embassy was looking into the kidnapping.

Security officials say the Bedouin man abducted the tourists to pressure authorities to release his uncle detained in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria. The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Sinai has seen a series of kidnappings over the past year. Abducted tourists are rarely harmed and usually released within 24 hours.