Hikers held in Iran marry in California
Americans convicted of spying spent time in jail
SAN FRANCISCO – Two Americans who were detained and accused of spying after hiking near the Iraq-Iran border three years ago have been married in Northern California, a family friend said Sunday.
Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were married at 4 p.m. Saturday at an undisclosed location, San Francisco attorney Ben Rosenfeld said. About 200 people attended the wedding – a “beautiful ceremony” that was held in a setting “chosen for its pastoral beauty,” he said.
Bauer, Shourd and Josh Fattal, all University of California at Berkeley graduates, were arrested on July 31, 2009, and held in Iran.
Iran accused the three of illegally entering the country and of spying.
All three said they might have accidentally wandered across the unmarked frontier but they strongly denied espionage.
Bauer proposed to Shourd in January 2010 while both were in prison, fashioning an impromptu ring out of threads from his shirt.
Bauer and Fattal were sentenced to eight years after being convicted on spy-related charges, but were released after more than two years.
Shourd was released on health grounds after 14 months.
Shourd grew up in Southern California, Bauer is a native of Minnesota and Fattal grew up in Pennsylvania. Shourd and Bauer have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Rosenfeld declined to provide further details of the wedding.