China formally detained nine foreign tourists including South Africans, Britons and an Indian national, the Foreign Ministry and a South African charity said, for suspected ties to a “terror group” after authorities accused them of watching banned videos.

China’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday that 11 others would be deported and the nine were “criminally detained” – a term meaning suspects have likely been charged and could be prosecuted. All are suspected of violating the law, the ministry said, without specifying what they had done.

Law enforcement authorities in Inner Mongolia, where the group was detained, are in touch with diplomatic and consular officials from the countries, the ministry added.

Imtiaz Sooliman, head of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, a South African charity, quoted Chinese authorities as saying some of those arrested had been watching propaganda videos from a banned group while in their hotel room.

Family members of some of the detainees asked Gift of the Givers, which has conducted hostage negotiations, to speak to the press on their behalf.

A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “Consular staff have visited the group to provide assistance and we are liaising with Chinese authorities.”