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| Iran |
| Soleimanpour back after British legal ordeal |
| 2003-11-19 |
| Iran’s former envoy to Argentina has returned home after emerging from a lengthy legal ordeal in Britain sparked by an extradition request from Buenos Aires, where he is accused of involvement in a deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center. On his return to Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday, Hadi Soleimanpour brushed off the case against him as "an international conspiracy against the Iranian nation and against high ranking Iranian officials." All together now: "It’s a Zionist Plot!" "They tried to taint the Iranian nation with something it had nothing to do with," he told the state news agency IRNA. "The Iranian nation is too immaculate to be involved in international terrorism." Then his lips fell off. Soleimanpour, 47, was arrested in Britain in August on an Argentine warrant accusing him of providing help and cover to those behind the car bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association, which left 85 people dead and 300 injured. The former envoy was then released on bail of 730,000 pounds (1.05 million euros, 1.22 million dollars) — paid in part by the Iranian government — and on November 12 Britain turned down the Argentine extradition request. He was studying at Britain’s Durham University prior to his arrest, and fiercely denied any connection to the bombing. He also pointed out that he was not in Buenos Aires at the time of the attack. Skipped town before the blast. Soleimanpour said his "education in Britain is over", and added he would be "honoured" to return to work at the Iranian foreign ministry. Well, he is fully qualified. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 If he were really guilty, wouldn't the Mossad have taken care of him? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-11-19 9:52:02 PM |