Posted at: 11/10/2009 10:18 AM

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US Hiker's Mother: Iran Espionage Claim 'False'

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The mother of one of three U.S. hikers held in Iran says their families are trying not to get pulled into the tense U.S.-Iran relationship.

Cindy Hickey, the mother of Shane Bauer, says the families' only job is to keep stressing their loved ones' innocence in the face of espionage accusations.

Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were taken into custody near the Iraqi border in late July. Their families say they were on a hike, but on Monday a senior Iranian prosecutor accused them of espionage.

Hickey lives near Pine City, Minn. She says her son would "fall on the floor laughing" at the suggestion he is a spy. She says Bauer, a freelance journalist, is not interested in political disputes but rather the plight of the poor and suffering worldwide.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)