Iran Questions Detained U.S. Hikers

Source: New York Times

BAGHDAD — Iran said Tuesday that it was questioning three young Americans arrested last week while hiking near the country’s border with Iraq and has charged them with illegal entry into the country, Iranian state television reported.

“They are definitely Americans. They were detained four days ago. We don’t know whether they are tourists or not. We are questioning them,” Iraj Hassanzadeh, a security official in Iran’s western Kurdistan region, told Iran’s Arabic-language al-Alam television, Reuters reported.

The three were arrested in the western Iranian district of Marivan, at a border point known as Malakh-Khur, Iran’s state-funded Press TV station reported, adding that they were traveling on Syrian and Iraqi visas and had therefore were not legally permitted to cross the border.

Kurdish authorities in Iraq have identified the Americans as Shane Michael Bauer, of Emeryville, Calif.; Joshua Felix Fattal, of Cottage Grove, Ore.; and Sarah Emily Shourd, of Oakland, Calif. Kurdish officials said they were students, two of whom were studying Arabic in Damascus, Syria. Mr. Bauer and Ms. Shourd have also worked as freelance journalists, most recently from the Middle East.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/middleeast/05hikers.html?_r=1&hp

Several Iraqis say they warned the 3 not to go where they were going but they ignored the warnings...If so, I bet they feel real stupid right about now! I still feel very sorry for them and their families because who knows what they are going through right now. Especially the girl! The Iranian Government does not think to highly of women.

Not only that they are indeed Americans. But verification of their treatment as well.

a very unwise decision. You don't get freedom of movement and press in many parts of the world. Best to figure that out before heading out.

Similar to " Lets go climb that mountain now so we can beat that huge storm headed our way".
Hiking between Iraq and Iran... they were asking for it.

One of the articles posted on Bauer's Web site is a piece written for The Nation about the U.S.-backed Iraq Special Operations Force. Richard Kim, senior editor of the magazine, praised Bauer, saying "he did excellent and meticulous work on that article."

Kim said Bauer is not currently on assignment for The Nation.

http://cbs5.com/national/americans.arrested.Iran.2.1112626.html

Bauer and Shourd, both graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, had been living in the San Francisco Bay area. Close described Bauer as “an artist whose first love is photography. He’s also linguistically gifted and just wanted to immerse himself in the Middle East.”

Shourd has written for a number of online publications, including Brave New Traveler. She has also has taught English.

Ross Borden, founder of an online travel magazine that includes Brave New Traveler, described Shourd as “very professional. She wrote a great story for us.”

“She’s obviously a professional traveler, as you can see by her latest adventure, going hiking in Iraq,” he said. “Not many people go hiking in Iraq.”

From January to June, Fattal traveled overseas as a teaching assistant with the International Honors Program, visiting Switzerland, India, South Africa and China on a global ecology program. Fattal had been a student in the program during college, president Joan Tiffany said.

“He’s a very thoughtful, caring person, soft-spoken, smart, bright. Has lots of travel experience, and is someone that I would expect to be an experienced camper,” Tiffany said.

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/aug/04/three-americans-missing-in-iran/
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so even if the name is Bauer, I'd be careful playing the "blame game". I wouldn't be surprised a minute if the Iranians, knowing of their presence through spies, crossed the border at a convenient place and abducted them.

"Or could it be that you actually thought that you were in Argentina?"

;-)