Iraq arrests 4 Russian bikers

Russia on Thursday said the Iraqi authorities had arrested and jailed four of its nationals who had set out on a motorcycle tour of the Middle East without acquiring proper travel visas. Foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the four bikers were initially detained on Saturday by an Iraqi military patrol and released after intervention by the Russian embassy in Baghdad. They were detained for a second time on Sunday on the outskirts of Baghdad after failing to apply for the necessary travel documents. Lukashevich said Moscow's ambassador to Baghdad had discussed the incident with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and received an assurance that the four would be released shortly from detention at a military base near the capital. "We hope that this is exactly what happens," Lukashevich said. Russian bikers have been glorified by the state media during much of President Vladimir Putin's 12-year domination of Russia. The Russian strongman has attended functions thrown by the country's main Night Wolves club and once attended a football match in Belgrade with members of the biking associations of Serbia and other Balkan nations. The four men's tour of the Middle East was featured in a state television report prior to their departure and their arrest gain top billing in Thursday afternoon news dispatches. Lukashevich advised the four should return to Russia once they are released. "In my opinion, these are not the roads to be travelled in this type of manner," he said.