Captured Sailors Appear on TV

Mar 29, 07:07 AM

Current Headlines: The 15 British navy sailors and Royal Marines captured in the Persian Gulf have appeared on television from Iran.

The one woman in the group, Seaman Faye Turney, 26, told an unseen interviewer that she'd written a letter apologizing to the Iranian people for apparently trespassing in Iranian waters.

The Times of London reported that Iran showed all 15 British military members on television and demanded an admission of guilt from the British government. The video includes shots of Turney's letter.

But British officials suggested that Turney's actions could have been coerced and maintained that the British patrol boat was in Iraqi waters when the sailors and marines were seized, the Times reported.

Turney's letter said she is well and safe and hoped to be home for her daughter's third birthday.

The people are friendly and hospitable, very compassionate and warm. Please don't worry about me, I am staying strong. Hopefully it won't be long until I am home to get ready for Molly's birthday party with a present from the Iranian people, she wrote, the Times reported.

The televised appearances and letters were far different than the mock executions aired in 2004 when Iraq last captured British sailors, the Times reported.