Drifter held over abduction of tourists

A drifter wanted for the abduction of two German tourists was today stopped at a roadblock and arrested in northern Australia, police said.

Matt Page, 31, was held while trying to hitchhike into Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, said Acting Police Commander Bert Hofer.

When a car that had given Page a lift approached a roadblock east of Darwin, he jumped out and was recognised by police, Hofer said.

Eva Obermeyer, 50, and her 16-year-old daughter Sarah, of Nuremberg, were tied to a tree in the Outback on August 31 for about seven hours after being robbed at gunpoint.

The women eventually managed to free themselves and alerted police.

Last week, police released a photo of Page and named him as a suspect.