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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

Family of French-German cyclist detained in Iran says he is 'innocent'

Iran Lennart Monterlos Asia Europe
This screen grab taken from a post from June 24, 2025, obtained from Instagram shows Lennart Monterlos, who has been missing since June 16, 2025, while travelling by bike in Iran, in a photo taken at an unknown location. AFP - -

The family of a 19-year-old Franco-German cyclist arrested in Iran while on a Europe-to-Asia bike trip has said he is "innocent" and demanded proof he was alive from Iranian authorities.

Family and friends of Lennart Monterlos said in a statement sent to French news agency AFP they had not received any explanation for his arrest since he disappeared in Iran on June 16, several days into unprecedented Israeli air strikes on Iran.

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