One of the released American hiker had Israeli roots

Muscat: A leading Israeli publication has revealed that one of the two American hikers, freed from prison in Iran last week, has had Israeli connection but the vital information was kept secret during the 781-day captivity on the charges of espionage.

Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd were captured by Iran when they crossed over the border while hiking in Iraq's Kurdish region in 2009. Sarah was released last year on medical ground and a bail of $500,000 while the other two hikers were released after Oman reportedly paid their $ one billion bail.

According to Haaretz, Jacob Fattal, Josh's father, immigrated to Israel from Basra, Iraq in 1951. He lived with his parents and siblings in the Kiryat Ono transit camp, and later in Pardes Katz.

According to the publication, after his military service, he left for the United States, where he studied engineering and raised a family. Today, he is the publisher of a high-tech magazine distributed in the United States, Europe and Asia.

The report claims that Jacob's two sisters and his brother, who live in Israel's central region, knew about the arrest from the first day.

To avoid drawing attention to the family's background, Josh's brother and mother led the campaign to free him, while Jacob refrained from giving media interviews.

Oman played a key role in securing the release of all three hikers.