Iran wants release of arms suspects
Italian ambassador called in for official protest
05 March, 12:08
(ANSA) - Rome, March 5 - Iran on Friday asked for the
immediate release of two suspects arrested in a probe into
alleged arms trafficking, calling the Milan investigation "a
political manoeuvre".Italian ambassador to Tehran Alberto Bradanini was called to the Iranian foreign ministry Friday where officials issued an official protest requested the "immediate" release of Iranian TV journalist Hamid Masoumi-Nejad, 51, and Ali Damirchilu, 55.
The pair were among seven people including five Italians arrested Wednesday on suspicion of breaking an international arms embargo to smuggle weapons into Iran.
Two other Iranians, Hamir Reza and Bakhtiyari Homayoun, escaped arrest and are considered fugitives.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast called the arrests "another propaganda initiative against Iran," according to Iranian news agency IRNA.
"We are following the affair seriously and the Italian ambassador was called to provide explanations," he said.
The Milan prosecutors' office has issued no response so far.
On Thursday Iranian TV claimed the arrest of the journalist was payback for his coverage of scandals surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi According to the Iranian TV news channel IRINN, Masoumi's reports "on the Italian economic crisis and cases of corruption and scandals concerning Berlusconi" had annoyed politicians.
Masoumi has been accredited to the Rome foreign press association as a correspondent for IRINN for the last 15 years and is a well-known figure in journalism circles.
IRINN said Thursday the arrests were part of "a Zionist-American plan to unfairly accuse the Islamic Republic" and claimed Arab satellite TV stations Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera were allegedly helping it by covering the Milan probe. In the probe, Milan prosecutors say the suspects sought to export to Iran weapons 'dual use' materials and systems, which can be converted from civilian to military use.
EIGHT-MONTH PROBE.
On Wednesday Milan assistant prosecutor Armando Spataro told the press the investigation had been going on for eight months. He said it had been carried out using a vast number of wiretaps and intercepting email and SMS communication. This would not have been possible, Spataro stressed, under new wiretapping restrictions now before parliament. Spataro added that the investigation saw collaboration between several law enforcement agencies.
Among the Italians arrested was Alessandro Bon, 43, a Veneto native who lives in Monza and who is believed to have orchestrated the illegal trafficking through a Varese-based company, Antares.
Also arrested were Bon's girlfriend Danila Maffei, 40; Bon's business partner Arnaldo La Scala, 43, who is also a lawyer in Turin; Guglielmo Savi, 56, the head of a telecommunications company, Sirio SrL; and Raffaele Rossi Patriarca, who investigators said travelled to Iran to establish contacts with the Iranian military interested in arms deals.
photo: Masoumi
