LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - The head of U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil's XOM.N operations in Egypt and his wife are safe and unharmed after being briefly held captive on Thursday, the company said.

Security and tribal sources in Egypt told Reuters earlier on Thursday that Bedouin gunmen in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula had kidnapped and later released two British tourists.

ID:nL6N0BZB47

(Reporting by Anna Driver, writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Alison Birrane)

((Dmitri.Zhdannikov@thomsonreuters.com))

Keywords: EGYPT KIDNAPPING/EXXON