France says 2 citizens held in Iran have been freed from prison, are on way to Paris

By ELAINE GANLEY

PARIS (AP) — France’s foreign minister says two French citizens imprisoned in Iran have been freed. Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan had been held in a prison in Mashad, in northwest Iran. A statement from French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the two were headed to Paris on Friday. Briere, who is 37, was arrested in May 2020 for taking photographs with a drone in an area where cameras are forbidden. He was convicted of spying, and then reportedly acquitted this year. Phelan, who is 64, was arrested seven months ago while reportedly visiting Iran for consulting activities, according to French daily newspaper Le Parisien.