HARARE, Zimbabwe, June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. diplomats held near Harare Thursday by a crowd of 40 Zimbabweans have been released, the U.S. State Department said, calling the incident "outrageous."
"It is outrageous; it is unacceptable," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "And while this immediate incident has been resolved, it will not be forgotten."
McCormack said the government of Zimbabwe knew of the convoy of vehicles carrying British and U.S. diplomats to check on reports of violence when police stopped it north of the capital, Harare.
"So it is an example of the fact that this government doesn't know any bounds," McCormack said. "It flouted all international convention, as well as the protections accorded to diplomats accredited to their country."
Reports indicated a driver of one of the U.S. vehicles was beaten. McCormack said he didn't know the man's condition. The United States is protesting the incident with Zimbabwe's government and intends to raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council.
McCormack said the United States would not retaliate against Zimbabwean diplomats.
"As a matter of fact, the Zimbabwean diplomats are absolutely free to travel wherever they should want to go, as it should be in a democracy," he said.
A Zimbabwean government spokesman denied authorities threatened the diplomats and said the group was addressing a gathering at the home of an opposition party activist, Sky News reported.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the British diplomats were unharmed.
Zimbabwean police reportedly said they wanted to take the diplomats to a police station, Sky News reported.
