Report: Imprisoned UC Berkeley graduates arrested in Iraq, not Iran

hikersap_GALLERY — Sarah Shourd, left, hugs her mother Nora Shourd, as Shane Bauer, second right, hugs his mother Cindy Hickey, during their meeting at the Esteghlal hotel in Tehran, Friday, May 21, 2010. The mothers of three Americans jailed in Iran for 10 months had more time with their children on Friday after an emotional reunion a day earlier in a Tehran hotel overlooking Evin prison, where the three have been held since their arrest in July along the Iran-Iraq border

Three UC Berkeley graduates arrested almost a year ago by Iranian authorities who said they illegally had crossed the border into Iran were standing in Iraq at the time of the arrests, according to unnamed sources in a recent media investigation.

Iranian officials have charged that Sarah Shourd, 31, Shane Bauer, 27, and Josh Fattal, 28, illegally crossed into the country from a bordering region of Iraq. The hikers’ families and other supporters have insisted the crossing was accidental. Iran also has claimed that the three were American spies, which the U.S. State Department denies.

According to a five-month investigation by The Nation, the trio may not have crossed into Iran at all, and the official who likely ordered their arrest is awaiting execution after being charged with smuggling, kidnapping and murder.

The report relies on the word of two Iraqi sources who say they witnessed the arrest. They asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.

The witnesses said that on July 31 they were in their village, saw the Americans hiking nearby and followed out of curiosity. As the hikers descended a trail in the early afternoon, uniformed Iranian police waved the hikers toward the nearby border, firing a gun into the air and using threatening, menacing gestures, the witnesses said.

When the hikers stood still and did not move to cross the border, the police crossed it themselves, detaining the Americans and dragging them back into Iran, the sources said. The report did not state whether the hikers were arrested after crossing into Iran and back into Iraq.

A U.S. State Department official said today that the U.S. government has no evidence to back the report’s claims. Shourd’s mother, Nora Shourd, called the report shocking.

“We know that Shane, Sarah and Josh have consistently told investigators that they had absolutely no intention of entering Iran,” a family statement read today. “This report appears to confirm that and raises deeply troubling questions, not only about our children’s arrest but also about why they remain held without due process or access to their lawyer in violation of Iranian and international law.”