MM News

TEHRAN: Iran said Saturday it had executed a dual Iranian-British national, who once worked for its defense ministry, on charges of spying for the British intelligence agency. The execution came despite an international outcry over his death sentence and those of others held amid nationwide protests.

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Iran’s Mizan news agency, associated with the country’s judiciary, announced Ali Reza Akbari’s hanging.

Iran’s judiciary has issued a death sentence against Akbari who was arrested by the intelligence forces on charges of spying for foreign intelligence agencies.

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The trial of Akbari was held with the presence of his lawyer and the death sentence was issued based on “substantiated evidence”.

Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence after he requested an appeal.

Analysts said British-Iranian citizen Ali Reza Akbari was arrested in 2019, but the death sentence announced this week and reports of his imminent execution might be the result of internal conflicts and score-settling between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the supreme leader.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry in a statement provided further details about Akbari and his arrest.

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It named Akbari, a former deputy defence minister, as “one of the most infiltrating agents of the spying service of the evil UK in the country’s sensitive and strategic centers,” noting that he was identified and arrested after a “long and multi-layered process” involving “counter-intelligence” and “deception operation.”

The “key spy,” according to the ministry, had sent the acquired information from sensitive centers to the enemy’s spy service on several occasions while being “completely aware” of his actions.

Iranian forces spotted Akbari when he met with a number of British intelligence officers in the UK embassy in Tehran as he had gone to the diplomatic mission to collect a visa, reads the statement, adding that he became a “full-fledged employee” of the MI6 during his personal trips to Europe.

Iran’s counter-intelligence forces intervened in the communication between him and the MI6, infusing “guided information” into it, added the statement, noting that he was arrested after a judicial order was issued.

“Although the evil English enemy has managed to take advantage of this individual’s weaknesses and recruit him, they surely do not know which part of the obtained information is guided and [which part is] deceptive,” the Intelligence Ministry added.