Iran says that the French German cyclist Lennart Monterlos stopped by committing an un specified infraction

Paris -Tran’s Foreign Minister confirmed that his country is stopping a German French teenage cyclist who disappeared last month, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Friday. The cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, was arrested for having committed an infraction, “the newspaper Citó Iraní ABBAS ABBAS ARBHCHI Minister ABBAS As he said in the interview on Thursday.

He did not explain the nature of the alleged crime.

Araghchi said the France Embassy in Tehran had been notified, the newspaper added. He said that Monterlos was bike for Iran and that it has not been heard since mid -June.

The France Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm the arrest, but said it was in contact with the Iranian authorities about “the situation of our national” and also with the family.

Citing concerns about his safety, he said he had no other comment. He reiterated previous warnings that French citizens should not travel to Iran. The cyclist is the third French national known in being arrested in Iran, accused by France of practicing hostage diplomacy.

Two others, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, have been in Iran for more than three years in prison conditions that France compares to torture and the positions that Paris says are not fundamental.

“Iran practices a deliberate policy of state hostages,” said the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week. “All French citizens who are there are exposed to a risk of arrest and arbitrary detention, including tourists, for the only reason for French nationality.”

The spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry, Kathrin Deschauer, told journalists in Berlin that the ministry is aware of the case of the cyclist arrested, but has no comments beyond that. Germany also warns its citizens against trips to Iran.

The United States government also urges Americans not to travel to Iran, citing the risk of arbitrary detention. Monterlos was the last time it was heard at the same time as Israel launched a series of attacks against the nuclear and military facilities of Iran. President Trump ordered the United States military to join those strikes On June 21, with massive “bunker-buster” bombs used to inflict serious damage into three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Israel and Iran were at war for 12 days, and a American Cyclist told News themezone about his tense escape of the Islamic Republic when Israeli bombs fell.

On June 15, Ian Andersen, who had been by bicycle for the country for a couple of weeks at that stage and had been welcome by Iranian, heard the explosions of Israeli strikes in the distance. He said he received an email from the United States Department that day, advising him options for Americans who wish to leave the country.

Andersen chose to embark on an eight -hour trip north to reach the border with Azerbaijan. After being trapped in a dense traffic jam when the residents of the capital city, Tehran, fled and then sailing through many military control points, Andersen reached the border, but then underwent two separate output interviews, including one by the body of the Iranian revolutionary guard.

“That’s where I thought, ‘ok, I have a 50-50 probability of being taken as a negotiation chip or for more questioning,” he said about the experience.

In the end, Andersen allowed him to leave after just some questions, but described the experience as “quite heartbreaking.”

• Iran
• France
• Germany