Freed Japanese arrives in Iran's capital
(Adds Japanese arrival, quotes)
TEHRAN, June 15 (Reuters) - A Japanese tourist released after being abducted by bandits last year in the southeast of Iran arrived in Tehran on Sunday, a Reuters witness said.
Satoshi Nakamura, 23, was abducted in October while travelling in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman and then taken to neighbouring Pakistan. He was freed and transferred to Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday.
"He was totally covered by security guards of the Japanese embassy. They held a cloth in front of his face," said a Reuters photographer at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport.
"He looked tired but visibly happy and shocked by the press attention."
A senior official in the province said earlier on Sunday Iranian authorities had not struck any deal with the kidnappers, a drug smuggling gang Iran had earlier said demanded the release of detained members as a condition for Nakamura's release.
The official had said he was safe and spent the night at a government office near the Zahedan city.
A Japanese diplomat in Tehran also confirmed the student had been freed and was safe.
"We had a chance to talk with him over the phone. Judging from the conversation he is fine," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Nakamura was expected to return home on Monday night. "His family are travelling to Iran on Monday to take him to his country," the official said.
European and other tourists have been abducted in Kerman in the past, with some held for weeks, and foreigners are advised not to travel at night and alone in the region, notorious for clashes between security forces and drug smugglers.
Iran's border regions with Afghanistan and Pakistan are a major smuggling route for drugs and other contraband. More than 3,600 Iranian security personnel have died in the region fighting drug traffickers since Iran's 1979 revolution. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; edited by Richard Meares)
TEHRAN, June 15 (Reuters) - A Japanese tourist released after being abducted by bandits last year in the southeast of Iran arrived in Tehran on Sunday, a Reuters witness said.
Satoshi Nakamura, 23, was abducted in October while travelling in the southeastern Iranian province of Kerman and then taken to neighbouring Pakistan. He was freed and transferred to Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province on Saturday.
"He was totally covered by security guards of the Japanese embassy. They held a cloth in front of his face," said a Reuters photographer at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport.
"He looked tired but visibly happy and shocked by the press attention."
A senior official in the province said earlier on Sunday Iranian authorities had not struck any deal with the kidnappers, a drug smuggling gang Iran had earlier said demanded the release of detained members as a condition for Nakamura's release.
The official had said he was safe and spent the night at a government office near the Zahedan city.
A Japanese diplomat in Tehran also confirmed the student had been freed and was safe.
"We had a chance to talk with him over the phone. Judging from the conversation he is fine," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Nakamura was expected to return home on Monday night. "His family are travelling to Iran on Monday to take him to his country," the official said.
European and other tourists have been abducted in Kerman in the past, with some held for weeks, and foreigners are advised not to travel at night and alone in the region, notorious for clashes between security forces and drug smugglers.
Iran's border regions with Afghanistan and Pakistan are a major smuggling route for drugs and other contraband. More than 3,600 Iranian security personnel have died in the region fighting drug traffickers since Iran's 1979 revolution. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; edited by Richard Meares)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.
Pamplona bull runner dies