US says American woman said jailed in Iran is free
Associated Press, Washington | Sun, 01/09/2011 6:45 AM
The State Department says an American woman
reportedly arrested in Iran for espionage is safe and not in Iranian
custody.
Spokesman Mark Toner said Saturday that the woman, identified by
Iranian authorities as 34-year-old Hal Fayalan, has been located by
U.S. officias who have "confirmed that the individual is safe."
Toner said the woman is not in Iran. A U.S. official who declined to
be identified due to privacy concerns, said the woman is in
Istanbul, Turkey, and that American consular officials are in touch
with her.
Earlier Saturday, a senior Iranian police official said Iranian
border guards had detained the woman on Wednesday in the town of
Jolfa along Iran's border with Azerbaijan on suspicion of spying,
the latest in a string of conflicting reports about the case.
