US Tourists Held by Iran 'Were Warned' by Police

[tekisui]

Source: AFP

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Three US tourists held by Iran after they crossed from Iraqi Kurdistan were warned not to hike in the mountainous terrain where they were arrested, a Kurdish official told AFP on Saturday.

Beshro Ahmed, media adviser for the General Security Department in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, said the two men and a woman had entered Kurdistan from Turkey earlier along with a fourth American who did not join the trek because he was ill.

Ahmed named the three as Shane Bower, Sara Short and Joshua Steel, while Shaun Gabriel Maxwell stayed behind in their hotel in the autonomous Kurdish region's second largest city of Sulaimaniyah.

"On Thursday, three of them went to the summer resort at Ahmed Awa," Ahmed said of an area about 90 kilometres (55 miles) northeast of Sulaimaniyah.

"The (Kurdish) tourist police in the area asked them not to climb the mountains because the Iranian border was very close.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivwg5aFthMD0DDagn2FcRUUDw7XA

[Christa]

1. It does not pass the smell test

I would like to know the real truth behind this.

[FarCenter]

2. "Shaun Gabriel Maxwell" only brings up 2 pages of hits on Google

All of which are in stories about the incident.

What is an Internet "non-person" doing in that region?

In fact, all the names sound oddly made up.

[tekisui]

3. Joshua Steel.

Sounds like a cover to me.

[anonymous171]

4. That must be a pretty well guarded border . nt