A Japanese student abducted in Iran almost two months ago is in good health and has been able to speak with his family, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Sunday. Satoshi Nakamura "is healthy and has been able to talk to his family over the past two or three days," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters.
"We are continuing our efforts to free him," he added. This appears to be the first time that Nakamura has spoken to his family since his ordeal began. Nakamura, 23, was kidnapped by bandits on October 8 in a region of south-east Iran bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. Officials have said he is now being held outside Iran in the border zone between its two eastern neighbours.
Nakamura had been travelling alone in a region close to the border with Pakistan after teaching Japanese and English in Nepal with a volunteer group.
He was abducted as he headed from his hotel for the ancient mud-built citadel of Bam, which was one of Iran's main tourist attractions until it was destroyed in a 2003 earthquake that killed 31,000 people.
A bandit called Esmail Shahbakhsh, blamed for the kidnapping, is asking for the release of his arrested son in exchange for Nakamura, according to Iranian officials.
The bandit is said to be the same man whose gang in August abducted two Belgian tourists who were later freed. The female Belgian tourist was freed shortly after her capture but it took a month to win the release of her male partner.
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