Thanks to Kimberley for giving me the heads up on this. This is great news and I am glad these two British security contractors and two local nationals (I am assuming) were freed and declared innocent. No word if the company had to use bribes or some kind of cash payment to get these guys free, or if a court of law legitimately released them based purely on their innocence.
I would also be curious about these other two local Afghan contractors, just because nothing was mentioned in the story about their status. Logic being that they were released along with the two Brits, but you never know? Either way, it is still great news. –Matt
Edit: 04/21/2012- Just to update everyone on this, Kimberley was able to secure the release of all four contractors and they were all released the same day. She also represented all four – two Brits, two Afghans.
Two Britons released after Afghanistan arrest
Mar 20, 2012
Two British men arrested in Afghanistan with 30 AK-47 assault rifles have been released and cleared after a January arrest for weapons smuggling, their Canadian employer said Tuesday.
Julian Steele and James Davis were detained while driving through Kabul with the rifles, whose serial numbers had been erased. The Afghan government said the men did not have proper documentation for carrying weapons and were charged with illegal weapons smuggling.
“I can confirm that they were freed and declared innocent,” GardaWorld security firm spokeswoman Nathalie de Champlain told AFP in Montreal, without providing further details.
The firm, which provides global risk consulting and security services, has long denied the allegations, saying the weapons were “properly licensed” and were being taken to be tested at a shooting range for future purchase by GardaWorld.
Two Afghan nationals traveling with the men were also detained.
De Champlain did not indicate when the British nationals were cleared and whether they had returned to Britain.
“Obviously, we welcome the development and thank the government and the authorities for their valuable cooperation, but I will not comment any further on the incident at this point as a security precaution for the employees,” she said.
Afghanistan is home to thousands of foreign private security personnel who provide services to international forces, diplomatic missions and aid organizations.
But relations with the authorities have deteriorated. President Hamid Karzai accuses the firms of breaking the law and taking business away from Afghans.
Perceptions that those working for security firms are little more than gun-toting mercenaries, roaming the countryside with impunity, have made them deeply unpopular among Afghans.
Story here.