Post by Salem6 on Apr 5, 2007 12:10:02 GMT
The 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines held captive in Iran for almost two weeks have landed in London.
The crew are being flown by helicopter from Heathrow
The crew, freed by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "gift" to the British people on Wednesday, touched down at Heathrow Airport at 1200 BST.
They are now being flown to a Royal Marines base in Devon where they will be reunited with their families.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was "glad" the crew had been returned "safe and unharmed".
'Dual strategy'
In a press conference given outside Downing Street as the plane touched down, Mr Blair said "no deal" had been done with the Iranians to secure the crew's release.
CAPTURED NAVY PERSONNEL
Chris Air, 25, from Altrincham in Cheshire
Mark Banks, 24, of Lowestoft, Suffolk
Paul Barton, of Southport, Merseyside
Arthur Batchelor, 20, of Plymouth
Felix Carman, 26, of Swansea
Christopher Coe, 31, of Huddersfield
Dean Harris, 24, of Carmarthen, west Wales
Andrew Henderson
Simon Massey
Danny Masterton, 26, of Muirkirk, Ayrshire
Adam Sperry, 22, of Wigston, near Leicester
Nathan Summers, of Hayle, Cornwall
Joe Tindell, 21, of south London
Faye Turney, 26, originally from Shropshire
One captive remains unnamed
Mr Blair contrasted the rejoicing at the return of the crew with the "sober and ugly reality" of the deaths of four British soldiers in Iraq in what he described as a "terrorist act".
And he repeated allegations that there were "elements of the Iranian regime" that were "financing, arming and supporting terrorism in Iraq".
The prime minister said the government had pursued a "dual-track strategy" of remaining open to dialogue with Iran, while "mobilising international support and pressure".
"In my view it would be utterly naive to believe that our personnel would have been released unless both elements of the strategy had been present."
Defence Secretary Des Browne said the navy crew, most of whom are in their 20s, had "acted with immense courage and dignity".
De-briefing
The navy personnel arrived at Tehran Airport early on Thursday in a fleet of official cars after 13 days in Iranian custody.
At about 0800 local time (0530 BST) they boarded a British Airways flight bound for London.
They are now being flown by helicopter to Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor in Devon, where they will be de-briefed and given thorough health checks.
BBC correspondents say military chiefs will be keen to assess the physical and psychological impact captivity has had on the crew before reuniting them with their families.
Iranian television has broadcast pictures and statements from several members of the crew, including the only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney.
Before they left Tehran, she was shown saying: "Apologies for our actions, but many thanks for having it in your hearts to let us go free."
Commentators are divided over whether the release represents a diplomatic triumph for the UK, or a public relations coup for the Iranian president.
The 15 service personnel had disembarked from HMS Cornwall in the Gulf when they were detained by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on 23 March.
The Iranians accused the crew of straying into its waters, although the British have insisted throughout that they were in Iraqi territory.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6529193.stm
