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Space rocks land tourists in Sudanese jail
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Jan 20, 2010 - 7:27:10 AM

Space rocks land tourists in Sudanese jail

Posted Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:00pm AEDT

Three European tourists have been detained in Sudan for acquiring the remnants of a rare meteorite that hit a remote region in 2008, their lawyer said.

Lawyer Adil Yacoub Ahmed says the tourists, two from France and the other from Belgium, were arrested 500 kilometres north of the capital Khartoum.

"They were arrested two weeks ago in Abu Hamad and were transferred on Sunday to the Bahri prison," he said.

Mr Ahmed says the trio were "just tourists, who had no intention of committing a crime".

A Western diplomat confirmed the arrest of the three, without giving further details.

Sudan's interior ministry previously released a statement confirming French and Belgian tourists had been arrested "for acquiring ... the remains of meteorites, which constitutes an offence" under Sudan's laws governing archaeological activity.

The meteorite, named 2008 TC3, struck north Sudan in October 2008, near the Egyptian border.

Space rocks that make it through the Earth's atmosphere can be extremely valuable and this rare example has been the object of research by Sudanese and United States scientists.

The arrests come in the context of tense relations between Sudan and France, which is harbouring Abdel Wahid Nur, the exiled leader of a key Darfuri rebel group.

Paris is also a fervent supporter of the decision in March by the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

But Mr Ahmed says the case is criminal, not political.

"They are doing well, they are being well treated, they have been able to speak to their families, and I hope to be able to secure their release tomorrow," he said.

He added the Sudanese authorities still had to determine the nature of the rocks in their possession.

- AFP