Iran Frees 19-Year-Old French-German Suspected
Photo: Petros Karadjias/AP/TT

Iran Frees 19-Year-Old French-German Suspected of Espionage

Iran has released a 19-year-old French-German citizen since suspicions of espionage have been dismissed.

France's foreign ministry confirmed the release on Wednesday, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that "Lennart Monterlos is free".

The formerly detained man's parents expressed their relief over the release and said that "he will soon come home to us" in a written statement to the French news agency AFP.

The teenager was arrested near the border to Afghanistan, when he was on his way to leave Iran. His visa to Iran was about to expire at the time.

France's foreign minister reminded at the same time that more French citizens are being detained in Iran:

I have not forgotten Cecile Kohler or Jacques Paris, we demand their immediate release.

The two were arrested in May 2022 during the last day of a tourist trip, and France harbors suspicions that the two were detained in order to be included in a possible prisoner exchange with Iranians who have been sentenced to prison terms in France.

Among foreign prisoners in Iranian prisons is the researcher Ahmadreza Djalali, who became a Swedish citizen in 2018. He has been sentenced to death for espionage in Iran.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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