U.S. reporter charged with spying in Sudan

CHICAGO, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune was charged Saturday in Sudan with espionage and entering the country without a visa.

Paul Salopek was on leave from the Tribune working on a story about the Sahel region for National Geographic, the Tribune said.

Salopek was arrested Aug. 6 with his interpreter and driver, both Chadian nationals, the newspaper said. In addition to espionage, they are charged with passing on information and publishing "false news."

U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who visited Salopek this week, said the reporter knows it as "foolish" to enter the country illegally.

"He knew he made a mistake," Shays said. "But it's not in anybody's interest -- in their or our governments -- to have this blown out of proportion. This is a reporter doing what reporters do. They don't have any designs against the government. They're just reporting what they see."