The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : American Hikers Released

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Well, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal didn't join Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his flight to New York but the two American hikers who were held in captivity in Iran for more than two years have finally been released. They are expected to land in Oman before returning to the U.S.

Bauer and Fattal were arrested in July 2009 along with Sarah Shourd when they were hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan and inadvertently crossed into Iranian territory along an unmarked border. The Iranians alleged they were spies. Shourd was released a year ago but Bauer and Fattal were convicted of espionage in an Iranian court last month. However, they were set free on a million dollars bail.

While I am glad they have been released let's make no mistake. They were hostages and their bail was nothing more than ransom and I wish the Obama Administration would have said so. Perhaps they would not have been held in captivity for so long.

Their release was also timed to coincide with Ahmadinejad's visit to this country. Why we allow a sworn enemy of the United States on our soil I cannot fathom. But that's whole other discussion.

View all comments (4) | Leave a comment

Truth to Power| 9.21.11 @ 12:21PM

Aaron only has part of the story:

convicted spy = hostage
bail = ransom
American hikers = left wing goofballs, citizens of the world

When the Iranians realized they were doing the USA a public service they promptly released these bozos. A couple more idiots at Berkeley will hardly be noticed though.

Margie| 9.21.11 @ 2:49PM

Oh my! Such harsh and "unloving" words!
Banish ye to the dungeons!
LOL.

SS| 9.21.11 @ 5:09PM

These guys got what they deserved. Why were they hiking in Iran of all places? Are there no enough places to hike in the USA -- or in Europe? Their stupidity is unbelievable, and they did not deserve any diplomatic attention from this country.

Rand Dee Bowerman| 9.22.11 @ 4:14AM

I am glad that they are free from Iranian "justice".
However, from the start of all this, I wondered why in hell were they in Iraq/Kurdistan and anywhere near the Iranian border? No mountains in North Korea to climb? Additionally, while these overeducated dilletantes were smoking and joking
far better members of their generation were fighting and dying for the rights of the Iraqi people to choose their own government. Grotesque. I suspect none of these twits will ever repay anyone for their bail/extortion and will lead lives of ignorance is bliss.