Report: Missing general’s “missing” family turns up at embassy in Tehran; Update: Photos added
posted at 2:32 pm on March 12, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Quoth yesterday’s Times of London: “According to the Iranian sources, the [general's] escape took several months to arrange. At least 10 close members of his family had to flee the country. Asgari has two sons, a daughter and several grandchildren and it is believed that all, including his daughters-in-law, are now out of Iran. Their final destination is unknown.”
And now today:
The family of Ali Reza Asgari, the Iranian general and former deputy defense minister who disappeared from Turkey last month, snubbed recent newspaper reports claiming he defected to the West and insisted instead that he was kidnapped by foreign agents.
His wife Ziba Asgari, 46, contended Western reports that Asgari was a spy and smuggled his family out of Iran prior to his escape. “We are here. Those are mere rumors being spread by the enemies,” she said.
His 20-year-old daughter Alham told journalists she was certain Israel or the United States kidnapped him, as they are Iran’s main enemies. “My father worked hard for the regime and he had many enemies due to his position,” she was quoted by Fars, the Iranian news agency.
According to the Fars report, Asgari’s wife, two daughters, son and brother arrived at the Turkish embassy in Tehran Monday seeking information on his whereabouts and met with Deputy Ambassador Dorim Ozturk.
Reuters has a similar report, quoting … Iranian state radio. Asgari’s wife is also quoted as saying they lost contact with him on December 7; every report until now has listed February 7 as the date he went missing after arriving in Istanbul from Damascus. There’s a photo of his wife (or a woman claiming to be his wife) at the Ynet link that looks like it was taken recently (today?), but I checked the Yahoo wire and can’t find anything from the Turkish embassy in Tehran.
Some western paper is sure to refute/respond to this later today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Update: Gateway Pundit tips us that the Iranian blogger Kamangir has photos of the (alleged) family at the embassy.
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I’m getting the sense this is going to be another story like that of Alexander Litvinenko. The more information that comes out, the more confused I get.
Slublog on March 12, 2007 at 2:36 PM
This is strange…and, as I believe you predicted, is beginning to take as many turns as the Litivenko story.
CP on March 12, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Bizarre. Sorry to be a conspiracy theorist here, but would Iran arrange such a thing to convince its own people, if nobody else, that the general was not a spy? Stranger than fiction, even Clancy fiction.
Anwyn on March 12, 2007 at 2:39 PM
Strange as it may sound, is it unrealistic to assume he has more than one family?
Think about it!!!!!!!!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on March 12, 2007 at 2:42 PM
Got rid of the Bush 41/HuffPost story I see.
Nonfactor on March 12, 2007 at 2:48 PM
Absolutely. I think this is a put-up job by the Iranian press.
nukemhill on March 12, 2007 at 2:57 PM
I have absolutely no problem with the scenario of kidnapping him.
amerpundit on March 12, 2007 at 3:00 PM
News that he defected could be disinformation designed to give the guy a disincentive to going back.
SWLiP on March 12, 2007 at 3:12 PM
You mean this one troll?
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/03/12/bush-41-hospitalized-after-collapse/
mattshu on March 12, 2007 at 3:36 PM
Spy vs Spy?
With all the propoganda spewed by our own MSM, why is this accepted as hard core fact?
I have a feeling, tomorrow, the story will change once again….
PinkyBigglesworth on March 12, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Let’s get real. The Iranian mullahs made the Mrs. an offer she couldn’t refuse before she stepped to the microphone and said hubby was kidnapped by the Jews.
fogw on March 12, 2007 at 3:42 PM
War is the art of Deception.
Egfrow on March 12, 2007 at 3:45 PM
Dam, if my wife looked like that I’d defect to the decandent West as well…
Romeo13 on March 12, 2007 at 3:46 PM
I hesitate to be unkind but, if that’s a picture of his wife, then there may be a more…I dunno…BASIC? explanation for his disappearance. I mean, probably she’s a wonderful person but it looks to me, from the picture, that apart from being…not a 10…she looks like she’s tough to be around when she’s angry.
Seriously.
Blaise on March 12, 2007 at 5:10 PM
Anyone verify that this is actually one of his wives?
- The Cat
MirCat on March 12, 2007 at 11:11 PM
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