The United States said on Thursday two American journalists detained by Syrian security authorities for illegal entry have been released.

The two released Americans, Holli Chmela and Taylor Luck, are in "good shape", and "now in the U.S. Embassy" in Damascus, the capital of Syria, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said.

Prior to their release, Chmela, 27, and Luck, 23, were detained and interrogated by Syrian police because they crossed into Syria with the help of smugglers.

On Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Beirut said in a statement that the two Americans, who are journalists working for the Jordan Times, have not been heard from since leaving their hotel in Beirut on Oct. 1.

The United States has long been accusing Syria of supporting terrorist groups, and of meddling in Lebanese affairs, a charge denied by Syria.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2008)