(From 2005) Former Hostages Allege Iran's New President Was Captor

CNN ^ | June 30, 2005

[khnyny]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The White House said Thursday it is taking seriously the allegations by former hostages that Iran's hardline president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was one of their captors at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran a quarter century ago.

President Bush told foreign reporters he has "no information, but obviously his involvement raises many questions."

"As soon as I saw the face, it rang a lot of bells to me," Don Sharer, who served as the embassy's naval attache at the time, told CNN.

"...Take 20 years off of him. He was there. He was there in the background, more like an adviser."

Abbas Abdi, the man well-known to be the leader of the 1979 hostage-takers, told CNN that Ahmadinejad, the Tehran mayor, "absolutely was not" part of the event that involved the captivity of 52 people.

Abdi later became a supporter of reformist President Mohammed Khatami and was recently released from jail for advocating closer ties with the United States.

Iranian officials also deny Ahmadinejad was involved.

The November 4, 1979, embassy takeover followed protests demanding that the United States return the Shah of Iran to Tehran for trial. He had been overthrown by the Islamic revolution 11 months prior and was receiving cancer treatment in New York at the time.

The embassy seizure lasted 444 days and resulted in a botched rescue mission that left eight U.S. soldiers dead and the severance of U.S.-Iranian ties ever since.

The Associated Press, in its archives, has a series of photographs showing a student hostage-taker that some of the former hostages believe to be Ahmadinejad.

[khnyny]

And lest we forget how the hostages were ultimately treated by our own government:

Court rejects Iran hostage claim

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3806087.stm

[RoseofTexas]

Hmmmm...now the CommunistNetworkNews is curious? Bastards they should have brought up the subject before the little murderous dictator stepped on US soil!!

[LdSentinal]

Arrest him.

And Jimmy Carter.

[khnyny]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3806087.stm

There, that’s easier.

[khnyny]

Look at the date, this is old news, but some former hostages have been speaking out this past week about the “visit” tomorrow.

[potlatch]

I believe that is one of the pictures I have in this slideshow;

[khnyny]

Last time I checked, taking over an embassy is an act of war.

[khnyny]

Great stuff, Potlatch. Thanks.

[doorgunner69]

And monkeyboy gets a free pass into to US..............

[potlatch]

You are quite welcome. I’ve had that so long that I forgot about it!!

[RoseofTexas]

Damn, you right! Still, I can’t stand the mediaprostitutes! They can go straight to HELL!!

[khnyny]

And Columbia University is giving this Monkeyboy a podium with a microphone and photo ops...

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The White House said Thursday it is taking seriously the allegations by former hostages that Iran's hardline president-elect

The gov't is just now knowing this? Since he's been elected in 2005, it's been all over the Internet. Snopes debunked this but then again Snopes is a left-wing website.

[RaceBannon]

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id28.html

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Nevermind, just saw the date.

[Delacon]

The media came out with this story when he was first came to power. Not that I have anything against reminding people of it now.

[RaceBannon]

Abdi is lying. While Ahmadinejad was not a part of the original thinkers of taking oiver the US Embassy, he was certainly there and identified by several hostages as being one of ther interrogators.

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id28.html

[khnyny]

There have been former hostages in the media just this past week denouncing Ahmadinejad’s visit tomorrow, reiterating their claims that he was involved in their capture and captivity.

I would think that if you had a life experience such as these hostages, you wouldn’t forget a face. I can provide more info/link re the more recent pronouncements, if you need further documentation.

[Brasil]

Iranian officials also deny Ahmadinejad was involved.
Means nothing--they don't tell the truth.

[seoul62]

A suggestion, if I may: put this nutjob in an arena armed only with a sword and shield - like in the movie: Gladiator and let loose a really big tiger, how about two?????? The outcome, please - oh, just a thought./Just Asking - seoul62..........