Fate of American hikers detained in Iran uncertain

(NECN/ABC) – Iranian authorities are now claiming the Americans in custody are CIA agents. The three hikers were taken into custody while hiking along the Iran/Iraq border. Shane Bauer is from Minnesota. He was living in the Middle East working as a freelance reporter. Sara Shourd is a writer and teacher from California, also living in the region. Joshua Fattal, from Oregon, was spending time there to learn more about his own family’s roots. His father was born in Iraq. Friends in his hometown are anxious for news. The U.S. State Department says the three were tourists hiking in the region’s picturesque and rugged mountain trails. The regional Kurdish government says they got lost and entered Iran by mistake. But, government run TV in Iran hinted the three purposely snuck across the border. This year Iranians accused American journalist Roxana Saberi of espionage while she was living and working in Tehran. She was released after four months in prison. ABC’s Gloria Riviera reports.