LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Home Secretary Suella Braverman said on Sunday the British government was "in talks" after the Taliban arrested three British nationals in Afghanistan.
The media identified the men as Dr. Kevin Cornwell, 53, an unnamed hotel manager for development workers and YouTube star Miles Routledge.
Scott Richards, co-founder of the non-profit group Presidium Network, told AFP that his organization represents the families of two of the three detainees.
On Sunday there were "interactions" with men who were "in as good a condition as you can be in police custody".
"They would be charged, which we think has to do with an illegal firearms charge, even though those firearms were kept in a safe with a permit, so we believe the situation is largely a misunderstanding," he added.
The two men have been arrested by the Taliban since January.
It is not known how long the third man was held.
"The government is negotiating and working hard to keep people safe," Braverman previously told Sky News. "We are working hard to ensure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and to provide support to the families," the British Foreign Office added in a statement.
Global outrage
Richards expressed hope that the situation could be resolved quickly and in a transparent manner that would inspire confidence in the international humanitarian community."
"It was a mistake," he added.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid then accused the British of "carrying out activities contrary to the laws of this country and the traditions of the Afghan people".
"They promised to respect the laws of Afghanistan, its traditions and the culture of the people and not to break them again," he said.