(6 Feb 2007)
06 February 2007
1. Various of streets in Arasat neighbourhood where the Iranian diplomat was believed to be kidnapped
2. Various barbed wire and soldiers
File: Recent
3. Exterior of Iranian embassy
4. Sign on wall
5. Iranian flag
6. Exterior of embassy
STORYLINE:
Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms seized an Iranian diplomat as he drove through central Baghdad, officials said on Tuesday.
One Iraqi government official also said the diplomat was detained on Sunday by a special Iraqi army unit that reports directly to the U.S. military. But
a military spokesman denied any U.S. troops or Iraqis that report to them were involved.
Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad was seized on Sunday by gunmen who "operate under the supervision of the American forces in Iraq," the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Tehran condemned the abduction and blamed U.S. forces in Iraq.
The incident comes as tensions have been rising between Iran and the United States and the Shiite-led Iraqi government has shown increasing
impatience with both sides for letting the disagreements spill over the border.
An official with the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to disclose the information, said the diplomat was heading to check on the planned opening of an Iranian bank on Sunday in the central Karradah neighbourhood when he was seized by men wearing Iraqi army uniforms.
The Iraqi government official said Iraqi soldiers in two vehicles intercepted a car carrying the diplomat in the predominantly Shiite area, then placed him in one of their vehicles that sped away.
Iraqi police, apparently suspecting that a kidnapping was taking place, opened fire on the second vehicle and detained the occupants, according to
the official.
He added that the men who had been detained were released on Monday into the custody of members of the unit, who showed official badges
and said they need to transfer the suspects to another police station.
The incident comes nearly a month after the US military detained five Iranians in northern Iraq and accused them of having links to an Iranian military faction blamed for funding and arming Iraqi militants.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
