"[There was] certainly no question of any malicious intent on the part of these five young people," stated the Iranian Foreign Ministry to the IRNA. The Revolutionary Guard stated, "after carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake." Team Pindar composed of David Bloomer, Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, Oliver Young and Sam Usher, were travelling to the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, a 360-mile (580-kilometer) race when they were arrested on November 25. The race took place on November 26. The sailors were met by team representatives and are being escorted in their yacht out of Iranian waters. A similar incident took place in July, but on land. Three American hikers, identified as Shaun Gabriel Maxwell, Shane Bower and Sara Short, were arrested on July 31 in the country after they crossed into Iranian territory. Reports say the hikers accidentally crossed into Iran while hiking between Halabja and Ahmad Awa in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.
"[There was] certainly no question of any malicious intent on the part of these five young people," stated the Iranian Foreign Ministry to the . The stated, "after carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake." Team Pindar composed of David Bloomer, Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, Oliver Young and Sam Usher, were travelling to the -Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, a 360-mile (580-kilometer) race when they were arrested on November 25. The race took place on November 26. The sailors were met by team representatives and are being escorted in their yacht out of Iranian waters. A similar incident took place in July, but on land. Three American hikers, identified as Shaun Gabriel Maxwell, Shane Bower and Sara Short, were arrested on July 31 in the country after they crossed into Iranian territory. Reports say the hikers accidentally crossed into Iran while hiking between and Ahmad Awa in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.
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IRNA. The Revolutionary Guard
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Dubai-Muscat
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Halabja