ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports:
American hikers detained by Iran after allegedly crossing over from Iraq have been moved to Tehran, aU.S. official tells ABC News.
The move may bea sign that the hikers' ordeal will continue to drag on.
Joshua Fattal, an environmental worker from Oregon, freelance journalist Shane Bower of Minnesota and Californian Sarah Shourd, who writes and teaches in the Middle East, have been held as prisoners in Iran since Friday.
The three tourists were detained after evidentlystraying into Iran while hiking in the mountains in the Iraqi border town of Ahmed Awah, a popular resort area famous for its pistachio trees and picturesque waterfalls. The border between Iran and Iraq is not clearly marked.
Americans have been repeatedly warned by the U.S. government not to travel to Iraq. Even though U.S. troops have withdrawn from major cities, violent attacks and bombings remain prevalent throughout the country.
According to Iran's state TV, the three were arrested for “illegal entry into Iran from Iraq's Kurdistan region.” Iranian authorities said the hikers ignored warnings from Iranian guards.
A fourth American, linguistics student and English teacher Shon Meckfessel from Seattle,hadpreviouslyhiked with the group. Meckfessel,who was taken tothe U.S. embassy in Baghdad, said he received a cell phone call from his friends saying, “We're surrounded.”
Fattal, who loved to travel, wanted to know more about his family's roots in the region. His father, Jacob Fattal, was born in Iraq.
ABC News' Huma Khan, Kirit Radia, Jim Sciutto and Ki Mae Heussner contributed to this report.
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