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Iran releases Aussies accused of spying

Agence France-Presse · Oct 5, 2019, 11:42 AM

British-Australian woman Jolie King and her Australian boyfriend, Mark Firkin, have been released from detention in Iran. (AAP)

An Australian travel-blogging couple, who last month were revealed to be detained in Iran, have been released following “very sensitive negotiations” with Tehran, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Saturday.

Perth-based Jolie King and Mark Firkin have been returned to Australia, Payne said, but a third Australian citizen identified as having been recently arrested by Iranian authorities remained in detention.

Iran charged the three with spying. The couple alleged to have used a drone to take pictures of military sites while a third was accused of spying for another country, spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said there was “no reason” to believe the arrests were politically motivated.