China arrests 20 British and South African tourists for 'watching terrorist propaganda videos'
Authorities will release 11 travellers, but others will be held without charge at detention centre in Inner Mongolia, says South African charity Gift of the Givers Foundation
China has formally detained nine foreigners - South Africans, Britons and an Indian national - for suspected ties to a "terror group" after authorities accused them of watching banned videos, according to the foreign ministry and a South African charity.
The ministry said on Wednesday that 11 others would be deported and the nine were "criminally detained" - meaning they have likely been charged and could be prosecuted. All were suspected of violating the law, it said, without specifying what they had done.
Law enforcement authorities in Inner Mongolia, where the group was detained, are in touch with diplomatic officials from the countries, it added.
Imtiaz Sooliman, head of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, a South African charity, quoted Chinese authorities as saying some of those arrested had been watching propaganda videos from a banned group while in their hotel room.
Family members of some of the detainees asked Gift of the Givers to speak to the press on their behalf.
The South African families were considering appointing a Chinese human rights lawyer, the charity said, adding: "Information received from China this morning is very disconcerting as we were told many top human rights lawyers have been arrested by the Chinese government."
Shameel Joosub, chief executive of South African telecoms firm Vodacom Group, said members of his family were among those detained.