An Irish tourist has been kidnapped in a south-eastern province of Iran known for its violent drug-trafficking gangs, Tehran officials said yesterday, write Caitríona Palmer, in Tehran and Alison Healy.
A senior Iranian police official, Col Mahdi Ahmadi, told news agencies the Irish tourist was kidnapped along with two Germans.
The tourists were cycling in the Sistan-Baluchistan province when they were abducted on the Bam-Zahedan road, close to the border with Pakistan .
"Apparently the tourists were kidnapped as they were cycling to Zahedan", Col Ahmadi said.
News of the kidnapping emerged for the first time yesterday, but Col Ahmadi said the tourists were probably kidnapped last Monday. Reports suggested the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of €4.1 million.
The Irish Embassy in Tehran declined to comment on the incident when contacted by The Irish Times last night.
The German Foreign Ministry said in Berlin it had formed a special task force to follow the case.
The Sistan-Baluchistan province is a poverty-stricken region notorious for heavily-armed drug traffickers, who frequently have gunfights with police.
Although some reports said an Irishman was kidnapped, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not issuing information on whether a man or woman was involved.
A spokeswoman for the Department said it had not issued a specific warning about the dangers of travelling to Iran, although anyone asking would have been warned to be cautious.
The Department's website states it is not in a position "to give generalised advice about travel to particular countries". However, the websites of the Department's British, US and French counterparts all give warnings about Iran.