hi, ben. reporter: hello, carol. according to the southern sinai governor and senior official there, two americans have been released. they are now in police custody and they are on their way to a hotel. we were told earlier that the americans were being treated well and that they were unharmed. this clearly is part of some local conflict. a man from a tribe in southern sinai apparently had been arrested by the egyptian police yesterday with a large amount of marijuana. apparently the other members of his tribe wanted him released. they saw this opportunity with the two americans who were driving north toward an area near the israeli border. they were forced out of the car and then negotiations began and fortunately they are over and the two americans we are told are alive and well and now in police custody. does this kind of thing happen often in egypt? reporter: there was an incident a few months ago where another case of two americans being kidnapped by bedouin tribe