Two American tourists and their Egyptian guide who were abducted by a Bedouin in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last week were released unharmed on Monday after negotiations with security officials and tribal leaders.

Rev. Michel Louis, 61, and 39-year-old Lissa Alphonse, both Boston-area residents, had been kidnapped from a bus on Friday along with their guide, Haytham Ragab, on a Sinai road by a Bedouin who was demanding the release of his uncle, who had been detained by Egyptian police on suspicion of drug possession.

The kidnapper, Jirmy Abu-Masuh, told AP that he had handed the three over to security officials near the northern Sinai city of el-Arish on Monday after he was promised that authorities were working on his uncle's release.

"We are a people of mercy and they don't have anything to do with this," said Abu-Masuh, referring to the Americans. The three released captives later appeared at a police station in the northern Sinai city of el-Arish.

In Boston's Dorchester section, where Louis lives, about 10 family members and friends celebrated the news on the porch of his home, hugging and chanting "hallelujah."

"We are in joy after receiving such a message and we believe in God and let me tell you, He did not let us down," Louis' oldest son, the Rev. Jean Louis, said outside the house before breaking down in tears and being led back inside.

Later, Louis' children told reporters they were able to talk with their father on a satellite phone from Egypt.