Five Kidnapped In Iran

Three Spaniards, an Italian, and an Iranian were abducted by unidentified kidnappers in central Iran, the official Iranian news agency reported Sunday.

The four tourists and the Iranian were seized Saturday night from a hotel in Kerman, 550 miles southeast of Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Two of the three Spaniards, Joaquin Fernandez and Cosme Puerto, are priests, said the Spanish state news agency, Efe. The third Spaniard was identified as Pedro Garcia.

The kidnapping may be related to drug trafficking and without a religious motive, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said. But neither the identities nor the motive of the kidnappers is known.

Kerman's security chief, Abbas Doagooie, told IRNA that the kidnappers are being pursued by security forces and all exits and entries to the province are being monitored.

It is at least the third mysterious attack on foreigners in Iran this year.

IRNA reported in February that an armed robber kidnapped and killed a German banker in Kashan, which lies in central Iran about 440 miles north of Kerman.

In June, three Italians were abducted in southwestern Iran and freed unharmed after a week in captivity. The reasons for the kidnapping were never disclosed, nor were any details offered on how it was resolved. Earlier reports had described the kidnappers as "notorious bandits."

Iran has been trying to promote tourism to boost its faltering economy. Yet while the country offers a wealth of Persian palaces, Islamic mosques and bazaars selling exquisite rugs, tourism brought in only $270 million in 1997, according to government figures.

And the industry received a blow in November when militants shouting anti-U.S. slogans attacked a bus of American tourists in Tehran. The government condemned the attack which was thought to have been triggered by reports that the Americans were government officials or CIA agents posing as tourists.