According to G4, two developers of the game Arma 3 have been detained in Lemnos, Greece as authorities apparently believe they were engaged in espionage.

Marek Spanel, CEO of Bohemia (the game’s developer) confirmed the news on the company’s official forums and an updated post today, attempts to set the record straight.

Spanel clarified that Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar were both visiting the country as tourists, and were not taking any pictures of military areas.

“They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen. It’s very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.

We sincerely hope that the whole situation is no more than an unfortunate and deep misunderstanding. The in-game Limnos is close to completion, and it’s far from an identical replication of the real place. It was heavily modified to fit the game’s backstory, a purely fictional 2035 setting. It was rescaled to only 75% of the real island, and it does not attempt to display any real world military installations situated on the island of Lemnos.
Martin and Ivan, currently being detained in Mytilene, relayed this message to their friends and family:

“The conditions are tough, but the people we meet treat us fairly and correctly. It is all a completely absurd misunderstanding that will certainly be quickly explained. We mainly think of you, our families; you have to stay calm and not to worry about us. We hope we will meet soon.”

Let’s hope this situation gets resolved quickly and we’ll keep you posted.