Dec/090
British yachtsmen freed by Iran
Released! Five British yachtsmen held by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for a week.
The crew are said to have drifted into Iranian waters while sailing from Bahrain to Dubai.
A statement by the Revolutionary Guard said interrogations had revealed their “illegal entry” had been “a mistake”.
Luke Porter, 21, from Somerset, Oliver Smith, 31, from Southampton, Oliver Young, 21, from Cornwall, Sam Usher, 26, from North Yorkshire, and Bahrain-based David Bloomer, who is believed to be in his 60s, were held on 25 November.
A Foreign Office statement said: “We understand that they are being towed to international waters and will be met by a representative from the sailing company”.
The crew were in expected to arrive in Dubai “within the next couple of hours”.
Iranian radio said the five had been freed at 0730 local time (0400 GMT). Iran’s official IRNA news agency said they had been released after an interrogation by authorities established that their yacht had entered Iranian waters accidentally.
A statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said: “After carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake.
“After obtaining necessary guarantees, it was decided to release them.”
Mr Miliband told reporters it had been “a purely consular case” and said he was pleased that the matter had been dealt with in a “professional and straightforward way” by the Iranian authorities.
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