Mothers of 2 detained hikers hope that release of 3rd hiker means their sons will be home soon

Mothers hope 2 hikers released soon from Iran

NEW YORK — The mothers of two American hikers who have been detained in Iran for more than a year say they hope their sons will be released soon, now that the third hiker has been freed.

Laura Fattal and Cindy Hickey told The Associated Press on Wednesday that when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE’-neh-zhahd) arrives in New York for next week’s United Nations General Assembly, he should bring their sons with him.

Sarah Shourd was released from an Iranian prison on Tuesday after Omani officials mediated a deal for a half-million-dollar bail to win her release.

Shourd, her fiance Shane Bauer and their friend Josh Fattal were detained along Iran’s border with Iraq in July 2009 and later accused of spying. The two men remain in a Tehran prison under indictment on espionage-related charges.