A BRITISH couple detained while on a motorcycle trip in Iran have been charged with espionage.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on a round-the-world journey and travelled through the country despite official warnings when they were arrested.
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They were initially detained in January on unspecified security charges.
The couple has now been accused of collecting information in different locations throughout the country, by the Iranian judiciary per the news agency Mizan.
The statement claimed that they “under the guise of tourists and, under the guise of investigative and research work, have collected information in several provinces of the country”.
A spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary said: “These individuals were cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile Western countries under the guise of investigative and research activities.
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“According to the observations of intelligence and security institutions, the connection of these individuals with several institutions affiliated with intelligence services has been confirmed, and additional investigations are ongoing in this regard.”
The judiciary spokesperson also said the pair “were monitored with the cooperation of security agencies and arrested”.
The couple, who are in their early 50s, are currently being held in the southeastern city of Kerman, per state media.
Craig, a carpenter, and Lindsay, a life coach, travelled into Iran from Armenia on 30 December and reportedly planned to leave by 4 January to head for Australia.
They visited Tabriz, Tehran, and Isfahan but failed to check into their hotel in Kerman.
Iranian authorities then released an image of the couple – faces blurred – meeting Hugo Shorter, the British ambassador.
Brit couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman detained in Iran while on round-the-world motorbike trip
The Foreign Office said the couples arrest has “caused significant concern,” in a statement released over the weekend.
The statement added it was “united in our determination to secure their safe return”.
The couple, who had previously been featured on Channel 4‘s A New Life in the Sun, had ignored pleas from friends, family and the Foreign Office (FCDO) not to enter Iran.
FCDO guidance explicitly warns against all travel to the country, cautioning that British citizens could be arrested simply for their nationality.
Despite this, the pair acknowledged the extreme risk in a social media post on December 30.
It read: “Despite the advice of friends, family, and the FCDO (which strongly advises against travel to Iran for British nationals), we’ve chosen to keep moving forward.
“Why? Because we believe that, no matter where you are in the world, most people are good, kind humans striving for a meaningful life. Yes, we’re aware of the risks.
“We also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could far outweigh the fear.”
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TRAVEL HELL
The couple might have been arrested to be used as political bargaining chips, an Iranian government source told The Telegraph.
Craig and Lindsay were also likely arrested due to their British nationality, the source claimed.
The insider said: “They weren’t arrested for committing a crime – they’re British citizens, and that alone is enough to justify their detention and then phone England and ask for something.
“They likely took photos of something, which has been used as a pretext for their arrest, and now they [the authorities] are trying to get something from England in exchange for their release.”
The UK government is now being urged to act quickly to try and free the pair.
Richard Ratcliffe, whose wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was imprisoned in Iran for six years, urged officials to move faster than they did in her case.
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He said: “My heart goes out to them, and I hope they are not in for a long ordeal, and that the government is able to respond more promptly than it did in our case.”
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