China has agreed to release nine tourists, who were arrested on Friday, July 10 in Inner Mongolia, according to a spokesman for two of the travelers.

In total, up to 20 tourists (10 South Africans, 9 British nationals and one Indian) were arrested in the anti-terrorism swoop that grabbed international headlines. However, Chinese authorities have already released 11 of the tourists earlier in the week and were set to press charges against the remaining 9 in custody.

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Chinese authorities said the group had watched terrorist videos in their hotel rooms. At least one member of the group was also accused of having terrorist ties.

However, the spokesman for apartheid freedom fighter Hoosain Ismail Jacob, 72, and his wife Tahira, 67, has revealed that the alleged terrorist video was a BBC documentary about the founder of the Mongol Empire Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan), the Wall Street Journal reported.

It is unclear why the BBC documentary was deemed a "terrorist video." The tourists had reportedly visited the Genghis Khan mausoleum where the allegedly purchased the video. Experts say it is likely that the documentary contained a narrative about the history of the region that is not acceptable to the Chinese government.

"I suspect that they probably discovered or had in their possession some information that the Chinese Communist Party doesn't like," Ma Haiyun told Radio Free Asia.

However, the Britain-based spokesman for the Jacobs, who described their temporary incarceration as an "unfortunate misunderstanding," has noted that it is likely the arrest was a mistake caused by language barrier. According to him, the officials who made the arrest may not have been familiar with English and thus categorized the BBC documentary as a terrorist propaganda video, AP reported.

Chinese authorities are yet to release a statement about the case and the release of the remaining suspects. British and South African officials have revealed that the nine tourists are expected to be deported within a few days.

TagsTourists Arrested in China, Hoosain Ismail Jacob, Genghis Khan, Tourists Detained in China, Inner Mongolia