According to reports, Joshua Fattal, along with Shane Bower and Sara Short, were arrested after mistakenly crossing into Iranian territory while taking a hike.
Fattal's parents even asked neighbors not to speak to the media, but Joshua's mother has been quoted as saying, "My husband and I are only concerned with Joshua, Shane, and Sara. Their welfare is our only concern."
A friend of Joshua, who asked not to be identified, told Action News, "His father was born in Iraq, so he was traveling from Damascus, Syria through the Middle East, I think to see where he came from."
One neighbor did tell Action News, Joshua has not been seen much in his old neighborhood because he loved to travel.
Kurdish officials say the three Americans were found in a mountainous area in northern Iraq.
They were apparently surrounded by troops after failing to heed warnings from Iranian guards.
The threesome was then taken into custody.
Once again, the family is not commenting to local media about the arrest of their son.
Reports indicate the arrest happened Friday.
6abc.com and Action News will continue to follow new developments as they come in.
Click here to read more about the missing Americans in Iran.
