TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Three U.S. women who visited the West Bank town of Nablus Tuesday were briefly detained then released, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.
The three, who were 23 to 26 years old, worked for humanitarian institutions in the West Bank and were kidnapped while taking pictures in Nablus' Bir Ya'qoub neighborhood after, Maan said.
According to the report, the kidnapper was a former activist of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Some reports identified him as Hadi Mas'oud, who suffered a leg injury during an Israeli incursion of Nablus last July. He reportedly hoped to use his hostages as a means to secure free medical treatment for his injury, possibly an artificial leg and a job with the Palestinian security forces.
Similar kidnappings have happened in the Gaza Strip by Palestinians trying to press their government for concessions or jobs. Palestinian security sources said they have received the young women who were safe and well. Whether the abductor's demands were met or not is unknown, Maan said.
At the time of the abduction, it was reported that he gave the authorities a few hours to meet his demands, the news agency added.
