Iran arrests seven with alleged CIA ties

RFE/RL's old HQ

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
The Iranian government has announced the arrests of seven people linked to a US government-funded radio station, some of whom it says were working for the CIA. The arrests were announced on February 7 by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, which said some of the seven detainees had been “officially hired by US intelligence agencies” and had gone through “a selection and training process in Dubai and Istanbul”, in sabotage and black operations. The radio station in question is Radio Farda, the Farsi-language arm of the US government’s Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has been broadcasting to Iran from Prague, Czech Republic, its headquarters in Europe, since 2003. According to the Iranian government, the seven detainees participated in fermenting opposition protests that led to the demonstrations in Iran during Ashura, the Shiite day of mourning, on December 27, 2009. The violent clashes led to eight confirmed deaths and hundreds of arrests, mainly in Tehran. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has not identified those arrested. Meanwhile, speaking from Prague, Radio Farda’s director, Armand Mostofi, said the station does not employ individuals inside Iran, and hinted that the detainees were Radio Farda listeners who attempted to contact the station with information on the December 27 demonstrations.