More Than 20 Tourists Seized in Malaysia, Police Say
Six masked assailants took more than 20 people hostage on a remote resort island in eastern Malaysia, police said today.
The abductors surprised the group, including foreign tourists, on a beach on Sipadan Island late Sunday, and two foreign tourists managed to escape, police said.
The hostages were put aboard a boat and police today were trying to trace the vessel, officials said. Police said the tourists may have included Americans, French, Germans and South Africans.
No other details were immediately available. Officials said no demands had been made.
Malaysia and Indonesia each claim sovereignty over the Celebes Sea islands, and the Southeast Asian neighbors have filed claims with the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
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