3 Americans arrested in Iran - Extreme Zionists or backpackers?

[oberliner]

Officials in northern Iraq's Kurdish region said Sunday that the three - Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal - were tourists who inadvertently crossed into Iran on July 31 while hiking in the region. Friends and family say the three were adventurous travelers who accidentally stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that the U.S. was "worried" and called on the Iranian government to provide updates regarding the status of the three backpackers.

However, two days ago, when the Kurds gave Iran details regarding the three, things got complicated. An Iranian television channel reported that the three were not backpackers, but rather "Jewish reporters" ? and even called one of them an "extreme Zionist."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105196.html

[JuniperLea]

1. Funny how I've never heard Iran touted...

As a great hiking vacation destination. Especially in July and August... It's been in the high 90's up to 112 degrees in Iraq and Iran today.

[oberliner]

2. Being Jewish may cause them some problems

Not a good situation for them to be in.

[JuniperLea]

3. It was a very risky trip...

Hiking in that weather, with war being waged on one side of the border and civil unrest on the other, I think it was really stupid to even consider a hiking trip. Jewish or not, it was just stupid. Being Jewish may actually make it double stupid.

[Crabby Appleton]

22. Agreed nt

[valerief]

24. Exactly! nt

[elocs]

4. Cannot extreme Zionists also be backpackers? Cannot backpackers also be extreme Zionists?

:shrug:

[JuniperLea]

7. Anyone can hike wherever they please...

Even if they are stupid and choose a place where people hate them for their religion, there's a war going on, and much civil unrest due to a fixed election.

They should have been smart and gone to Yosemite. This smacks of asking... no, begging for trouble.

[YOY]

8. If really backpackers then yes.

Not much common sense there. Sure I hope they are OK but if they are really backpackers...dumb as doornails. If they're some kind of Mossad...then they slipped up and got caught.

[JuniperLea]

11. That about sums it up...

I'm sure we'll be hearing more on this one.

[anigbrowl]

16. You really think 3 tourists wouldn't have stopped at passport control?

either within a departure lounge in the US, or at the Iraqi end? Not only would they have to be dumb as doornails, so would every single official they encountered in transit. 'Oh, hiking huh? OK, but you might want to stay away from Fallujah!'

To be perfectly honest the main problem I have with it is that it suggests we are recruiting depressingly low-skilled spies. On the plus side, the fact that the Iranians are playing along with the the almost-certain charade that they're tourists means they're probably not in any significant danger.

[YOY]

20. Corrupt border gaurds, sneaking over the borders?

Who really knows at this point?

[Horse with no Name]

33. that's been my thought

realistically? Backpacking in that territory smacks about as adventurous as being a chew toy for a Great White Shark. With most likely the same result.:(

[Poll_Blind]

18. I would totally watch "Extreme Zionist Sport Challenge!" on ESPN.

I have no idea what the hell the challenges would be, but I'm pretty sure you'd have to do them while carrying an UZI.

PB

[stray cat]

5. Like the right calling Obama a communist or socialist or the antichrist

[anigbrowl]

6. They're not backpackers

Zionists, CIA guys, weirdo private espionage...I don't know, but 'backpacking in Iraq' is about as credible as 'ninjas stole my homework'.

[YOY]

9. Iran.

Still a pretty bad excuse.

[oberliner]

10. I think they were backpacking in Iraq and accidentally crossed into Iran

I believe that is what they have claimed.

[anigbrowl]

12. No, Iraq, from where they are supposed to have entered Iran by mistake.

They're not claiming to have gone to Iran on holiday and then gone to the wrong place within the country, is what I mean.

[YOY]

13. I stand corrected.

Still not very wise if they truly are what they claim to be.

[bemildred]

17. Backpackers can be different.

"The Places In Between"

http://www.amazon.com/Places-Between-Rory-Stewart/dp/0156031566

I'm not taking a position on what these people were up to, but as someone who backpacks, it's not a ridiculous idea.

[bbinacan]

27. I wouldn't jump to conclusions

A good friend of mine married a Kurdish woman and they hiked in the area. If it's the same area, you have some altitude and much lower temps. It's also a peaceful area.

[anigbrowl]

28. OK, I guess it's a possibility. But it still seems pretty unlikely.

At best, it reveals startling foolishness.

[mitchtv]

37. It seems rather odd that from the very beginning

We were saying that they "accidentally" crossed the border. How did we know what they did? Somethng doesn't seem right

[rvablue]

14. Interesting read on these three here:

They all went to Berkeley and the school paper did a profile of sorts on them.

It seems that these three are guilty of nothing more than stupidity, naivite and maybe a dash of recklessness.

http://www.dailycal.org/article/106189/uc_berkeley_graduates_detained_in_iran

[Poll_Blind]

15. Who or whatever they "are"- WHO the fuck winds up backpacking from Iraq into Iran?

I mean, when does that seem like a good idea?

In the middle of summer?

Oh yeah, in the Middle East?

Oh, yeah, in fucking Iraq?

And, while we're at it- let's just hike around the Iranian border- cause I hear the rocks are a nicer shade of dead there!

Who organized this crazy shit? Nick Berg Tours, Inc.?!?!?

I have no idea if they're righties or lefties or what. I do question, on all counts, their sense of the reality of what they chose to do for "fun". I guess there were originally 4 of them but one of them decided to stay on the Iraq side.

BTW, I'm organizing a pogo-stick competition in the middle of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Preferably after some incident between North and South Korea when all those funny-standing Korean dudes with the shiny helmets will be watching.

[oberliner]

19. "Nick Berg Tours" ? Isn't that in really poor taste?

I'd say it is.

[Poll_Blind]

21. It is in awfully poor taste, I agree. Then again, the point is if you hang out in Iraq...

...and there's really no reason to be there, will anyone be surprised when something absolutely horrible happens to you?

PB

[MrSlayer]

31. LOL!

Nice.

[BreweryYardRat]

23. Neither.

The UC Berkeley press release provided in one of the other replies suggests that they were aspiring independent journalists/photographers.

Still an amazingly stupid stunt, though.

[spanone]

25. if they're not mercenaries, they're idiots.

[scarletwoman]

26. One of the three is an Iraqi-American who wanted to find his roots -- probably NOT a Zionist.

And for those who are discussing the supposed heat -- they were in the mountains of Kurdistan, not in the desert. The mountain area where they were hiking has no clear border demarcations between Iran and Iraq. It is also a popular summer resort -- no doubt because its location provides relief from the heat of the lowlands.

I'm really amazed at some of the comments on this thread -- it's like people haven't been following the news stories at all and are just pulling weird ideas out of their asses.

Here's a fairly recent news story with some actual facts: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSKIVzrFeOWolWbSTGAyPytuqfIgD99SA0MO0

sw

[oberliner]

32. Do you have more detailed information on the three people?

There seems to be a lot of vague info floating around.

[scarletwoman]

36. NPR has been doing a pretty good job of getting into the relevant details of the story.

You might want to go to npr.org and go through all their reports on this particular story.

I live in Pine County in Minnesota, which is where one of the captured hikers is from -- his mother lives in Pine City, the county seat -- so I may be getting more on the local news than others elsewhere. Minnesota Public Radio has broadcast a lot about this story, as well as our local TV news network affiliates.

The one guy whose mother lives in Pine City is a freelance journalist who's been living and travelling in the Middle East for three years, and speaks fluent Arabic (and NO Farsi). The woman in the group is a freelance travel writer who sells stories to online travel sites. The third guy is someone who went to Iraq because of his heritage -- he wanted to know about his roots.

There was a fourth guy with them who stayed behind when the other three went hiking because he wasn't feeling well. He says they contacted him when they first got into trouble -- they sent a message that they were surrounded by Iranian soldiers.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that they simply screwed up and hiked down a mountain to wrong side of the unmarked border. There's nothing I've read or heard that would imply that they would have deliberately wanted to cross into Iran.

sw

[theHandpuppet]

29. I vote for just plain fucking stupid

And I'm sure all the money and energy that will be wasted to save their Darwin Award-winning asses will be of no consequence to those selfish twits.

[Goddess me]

35. They probably thought...

"Hey, we're rich. We can do anything we want. Money lets you live forever! Why not hike in a war zone then cross over to Iran. Our parents can pay them off. What harm can be done"?

Bill Clinton won't be coming to save your asses. Ask daddy for the money. Bye bye little minds.

Brought to you by...rich kids who graduate college and then go on to run our country. Yea!

[MrSlayer]

30. Could be both, either or neither.

I'd say they are very foolish at the least.

[mysuzuki2]

34. There is something fishy about this whole thing

hikers in IRAQ? Tourists in IRAQ? have no idea what they were really up to, but I have a hard time believing this story.