Three Americans detained in Macedonia after taking pictures

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Macedonian authorities briefly detained three U.S. citizens after catching them taking pictures inside a military compound, an army spokesman said Monday.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Macedonians suspected the three of spying.

The three Americans -- John Smith, 26, from Missouri, Audrey McMain, 20, of California and David Dziewit, 51, from Virginia -- were spotted Saturday by army guards as they took pictures with still cameras inside a military facility in the Macedonian capital, Skopje.

Macedonian authorities did not provide the hometowns for the three Americans.

They ventured 200 yards into the closed military area and were photographing "an ancient Roman aqueduct there, but also old army planes and other military objects," said the army spokesman, Blagoja Markovski.

Film confiscated

"The filming material was confiscated and the three Americans handed over to the police," Markovski said.

Smith and Dziewit are both employees at Camp Bondsteel, the U.S. Army base in neighboring Kosovo. McMain is Smith's girlfriend, Markovski said.

The three will face no charges in Macedonia and were released Saturday night. Their whereabouts were not immediately known.

The U.S Embassy in Skopje confirmed the detention, but made no comment on the spying charges.

Maj. Mark Ballesteros, a spokesman at the U.S. base in Kosovo, said the men were civilian contractors at Bondsteel and that the military was considering administrative action.