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20 foreigners arrested in China

20 foreigners, including 11 Britons (2 with dual citizenship in South Africa), 8 South Africans, and 1 Indian citizen have been detained in Mongolia by Chinese officials after being suspected of affiliation with a terror group. African charity Gift of the Givers stated that they were tourists.

The charity made a post on Facebook stating:

“The Chinese… suggested that some members were linked to a terror group, to a banned organisation, to watching propaganda videos in their hotel room.”

They also stated that the group included some doctors and businessmen, with none of them linked to terrorism.

Gift of the Givers said South African and British officials had met Chinese foreign ministry authorities on Tuesday.

Photo from Facebook

UK officials are “seeking further clarification” on the reason for the arrests, and British consulate staff have visited to provide assistance. Six of the Britons are expected to be deported soon.

According to the BBC:

News of the arrests comes as Beijing hosts South Africa’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who met China’s Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Li Yuanchao on Tuesday.

Mr Ramaphosa arrived on Sunday for his five-day visit.