US men face spy charges in Iran
2009-11-09 16:29
Tehran -Three American hikers taken into custody by Iranian guards near the border with Iraq on July 31 are facing charges of spying, Iran's judiciary said on Monday.
Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying the investigations were continuing against the three, Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, and that a statement on their fate would be made in the near future.
"The three Americans arrested near the border of Iran and Iraq are facing charges of spying and the inquiry is continuing," he said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Berlin there was "no evidence" for Iran to charge the Americans.
Family and friends of the three have said they were hiking in a mountainous border region in northern Iraq near a famous waterfall when they unintentionally strayed into Iran.