PESHAWAR, Oct 6: The political authorities in the Khyber Agency have arrested and charged two French journalists with illegal entry into the tribal area, an official said.

The official said that Ravanello Oliever and Mar Cantetti Jerom of the TFI news channel were arrested and booked for entering the tribal area without government’s permission.

Rifatullah, a Pakistani journalist and a tribal guide, Iqbal Afridi had also been charged with facilitating the illegal entry into the Federally-Administered Tribal Area.

Earlier, the authorities had arrested a German national for illegal entry into the tribal area and for trying to cross over the border to enter Afghanistan without valid travel documents.

The official said that the French journalists had been apprehended by tribesmen in Choora, an inaccessible area in the tribal agency and later handed over to the authorities. They were brought and surrendered to the administration at around midnight, the official said.

SAUDI HELD: The authorities in Mohmand Agency arrested a Saudi for entering Pakistan from neighbouring Afghanistan without valid documents, an official said.

The official identified the Saudi Arabian national as Ghazi and said that he was arrested while entering Mohmand Agency from Bajaur Agency. He said that the Saudi had apparently come from Afghanistan.

He said that Ghazi would now be interrogated by a Joint Interrogation Team comprising officials of various agencies.

Authorities had arrested two Saudi nationals last month at the border post at Torkham for trying to enter Afghanistan without valid travel documents.