Jun 6, 2007
Iran frees three detained Finns
EmiratesToday:
Three Dubai-based Finnish nationals detained in Iran for entering its territorial waters without permission were released last night, Finland’s Foreign Ministry said.
The men, employees of Nokia Siemens Networks in Dubai, were arrested on Saturday off Abu Musa Island while on a fishing trip. The island is midway between the UAE and Iran.
The men were reportedly held by Iranian security forces for four days at an undisclosed location on the mainland.
“We have received information from their relatives they had contacted them and told them they have been released,” a senior official of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, Pasi Tuominen, told the AFP news agency.
“It’s fairly late in the day… but our hope is they will be in Dubai by the end of tomorrow at the latest,” said a spokesperson for Nokia Siemens Networks.
Earlier yesterday, the company sent a memo to all of its employees in Dubai, advising them to avoid speaking to the media about their three arrested colleagues.
The document also said: “All of them are in a good con dition and we expect the matter will be resolved amicably.” A company spokesperson yesterday declined to provide any information about the men or their families, saying the company considers it in their best interests to keep their identities outside of the public domain.
Regarding the detention of the three, the Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, said the incident had “no political implications”.