Islamabad - The Taliban authorities have confirmed that the British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who was arrested last Friday after illegally entering Afghanistan, is to face trial on suspicion of spying.
The Taliban's deputy foreign minister, Mullah Abdur Rahman Zahid, yesterday said that there was no prospect of Ms Ridley simply being deported.
"We have to determine if she really was a journalist or she had some other intentions," he said. Asked if she would still be tried if her credentials were verified, Mullah Zahid replied: "Even then she will be tried because she broke the laws of our land and entered our country without permission."
Ms Ridley (41), who works for the Sunday Express, was arrested with two Afghan guides in the eastern city of Jalalabad, close to the border with Pakistan. It is believed she was caught attempting to take photographs in a bazaar.