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Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday Iran will
seize the $500,000 bail posted by an American woman freed from
prison last month if she does not return for the start of her trial
on Nov. 6.


      Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi was quoted by the semi-official ISNA
news agency as saying that Sarah Shourd can return to Iran and
defend herself at the court.


      Shourd was freed after 13 months in a Tehran prison and returned
to the United States. Her fiance, Shane Bauer, and their friend
Josh Fattal remain in prison and all three face trial on spying
charges.


      "Shourd has said she will return. According to the rules, we
can invite them. She can attend the court and defend herself. But
the bail will be confiscated if she doesn't return," ISNA quoted
Dowlatabadi as saying.


      The three Americans were reportedly hiking in July 2009 in
northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, near the border, when Iranian
forces took them into custody and accused them of intentionally
crossing.

      Iran initially accused them of illegal border crossing then
later raised spying allegations. The U.S. government says the three
are innocent.


      According to a U.S. military report that is among a huge cache
of documents posted Friday by the WikiLeaks website, the three were
on the Iraqi side of the border at the time.

Gallery

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Military report: Hikers were in Iraq, not Iran, when they were arrested

Families of 2 still held in Iran expect Nov. trial

Tehran's prosecutor said Tuesday Iran will
seize the $500,000 bail posted by an American woman freed from
prison last month if she does not return for the start of her trial
on Nov. 6.


Iran to seize U.S. woman's bail unless she returns

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