Two U.S. hikers convicted as spies leave Iran on bail

[hue]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Two U.S. citizens sentenced in Iran to eight years' jail for spying flew out of the country on Wednesday after Oman paid bail of $1 million, diplomats said.

Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who were arrested while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border in 2009 and denied being spies, flew initially to Oman, whose officials helped secure their release.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/21/us-iran-usa-release-idUSTRE78K1D620110921

[joeybee12]

1. Glad they're free after 2 years...I bet their families are, too...knr

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[rsmith6621]

3. Who Paid The Random????

[IamK]

4. is the bail taxable income? n/t

[IamK]

5. were they CIA, stupid or both n/t

[hobbit709]

6. That sort of stupid is just a a hair above Darwin nomination level.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. My vote is stupid...

"where do you want to go hiking?" "Oh, I don't know- how about along the Iraqi border with Iran? Maybe next year we can do the North/South Korean border".

[Earth_First]

8. Different people like different things...

I have friends that have hiked in some pretty far off, not on the tourist map locations...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. We have several major efforts going, creating and

supporting dissent, even attacks across hundreds of miles of border. If anything, that funding has increased over time.
What would two, semi-young, healthy, well educated and equipped american, former military, males be doing on the border of Iraq and Iran? Or any other bordering nation? Hiking for pleasure? yeah, right.

[twitcher]

12. former military?

Where did you learn they were former military? I couldn't find a source for that. Shane Bauer is a freelance journalist and photographer working in the middle east.
http://www.shanebauer.net/site.php/about/
I suppose their background of work for progressive causes is just a good cover for their true mission.
I would be interested to learn more - you are evidently privy to information not readily accessible.

[customerserviceguy]

10. Fine, hike all you want off the map

But when you go near countries that are hostile to Americans, don't be surprised when they hold show trials with your ass.

These clowns were lucky, they got out. I sure hope that other "hikers" learn a lesson from this.

[IamK]

11. that does not make them smart necessarily