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Kidnapped or Defected? Top Iranian General Disappears
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ShareMarch 05, 2007 5:28 PM
The mysterious disappearance of an Iranian general in Turkey in early February has led to speculation he either was kidnapped or defected.
Iran has reportedly asked Interpol to investigate the general's disappearance. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by Iran's news agency today as saying that a foreign ministry official was currently in Turkey to investigate the disappearance and has asked the Turkish government "to inquire into the issue and give explanation on Asgari's whereabouts."
One respected analyst with sources in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard says Gen. Ali Reza Asgari has defected and is now in a European country with his entire family, where he is cooperating with the U.S.
Other reports have suggested that the general may have been kidnapped by the Israeli secret service, the Mossad. A spokesperson at the CIA declined to comment on the reported defection.
"This is a fatal blow to Iranian intelligence," said the source, explaining that Asgari knows sensitive information about Iran's nuclear and military projects. Iran called tens of its Revolutionary Guard agents working at embassies and cultural centers in Arab and European countries back to Tehran out of fear that Asgari might disclose secret information about their identities, according to the analyst.
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There are conflicting reports about how and when Asgari disappeared. The general, according to Turkish and Israeli press reports, arrived in Istanbul from Damascus on Feb. 7. Initial reports speculated he may have been kidnapped because he failed to show up at a hotel that had been booked for him by two non-Turkish men.
The source, however, believes Asgari's disappearance was prompted by the detention of five Iranians after the raid on their government's liaison office in Irbil, Iraq in January. Asgari, 63, knew and may have worked with some of the detained men, said the analyst.
Asgari's years with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian defense ministry would make him an invaluable source of information. He was reportedly based in Lebanon in the 1990s and was in charge of ties with the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
At one point he was also in charge of military purchases at the defense ministry and exposed widespread corruption there which led to the arrest of a number of officials. Most recently, he worked as a consultant for the same ministry.
March 5, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (26)
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Let's hope that he passes on information that will make it easier to bomb the facilities that are key to Iran's nuclear program. He might also reveal other covert activities by the Iranians. No wonder that they are urgently recalling their foreign (spies) diplomats. As Benjamin Netanyahu says: Best to deal with Iran now before they have the bomb. "They are denying the last holocaust, while preparing for the next one"
Posted by: Bill | Mar 7, 2007 2:54:25 PM
He defected and has named Dick Cheney and G Bush as his two best recruiters..
Posted by: Charlie | Mar 9, 2007 7:52:40 PM
I have stopped watching ABC news ever since the let right wing propagandists run that 9/11 travesty. Who can believe ABC news anymore?
Posted by: charlie | Mar 9, 2007 7:54:07 PM
charlie, if you stopped watching ABC news, then how is it that you're commenting on their stories on the website ...
Posted by: brian | Mar 13, 2007 2:23:51 PM
Cave N... that's between Caves M and O, right? Yeah, I know that place. They water down their drinks.
How about this... Iran had him abducted so the blame could be shifted to whomever they desire.
Posted by: Bob | Mar 13, 2007 3:57:32 PM
"One respected analyst with sources in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard says Gen. Ali Reza Asgari has defected and is now in a European country with his entire family, where he is cooperating with the U.S."
Entire family?
The general was obviously kidnapped by Mossad/CIA terrorists, one just has to look at his past to see that:
In Israel, a former Mossad official, Ram Igra, claimed that before his defence ministry post, Gen Asgari had played a critical role in Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon, helping to found Hizbullah.
"In the 1980s and early 1990s, Asgari was responsible for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon. This is his real importance, not his connection to the Iranian defence ministry," Mr Igra said on Israeli radio. "He lived in Lebanon and, in effect, was the man who built, promoted and founded Hizbullah in those years. If he has something to give the west, it is in this context of terrorism and Hizbullah's network in Lebanon."
Posted by: David Sketchley | Jul 14, 2007 3:56:21 AM
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