Kidnapping on Laylat al-Qadr .. The incident of Iranian Khatami puts question marks about the perfor

[size=52]Kidnapping on Laylat al-Qadr .. The incident of Iranian Khatami puts question marks about the performance of Iraqi intelligence[/size]

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[size=45]Suspicions about the involvement of armed groups loyal to Iran, in the kidnapping of the British businessman of Iranian origin, Muhammad Khatami, have swirled between the provinces of Najaf and Karbala, during the past days, amid political calls for his release, as this represents a negative reputation for the security of foreign communities in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Muhammad Khatami is from a prominent religious family, as his father was a friend of Khomeini and studied with him in the Hawzas of Qom and Najaf.[/size]
[size=45]Before the Iranian revolution, Muhammad returned with Khomeini to Iran and contributed to the establishment of the Revolutionary Guard and was an assistant to Abbas Zamani, nicknamed (Abu Sharif), the first commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and soon Muhammad Khatami left the Revolutionary Guard with Abu Sharif after the dismissal of the former Iranian President Abu al-Hassan Bani Sadr who lives In his exile in Paris, he left Iran for Syria and Lebanon.[/size]
[size=45]Kidnapped in Laylat al-Qadr[/size]
[size=45]Muhammad Khatami declared his remorse for his participation in the revolution, and after a while Hezbollah kidnapped him and handed him over to Iran in 1988, however, Khomeini ordered his release after his father intervened, and Muhammad left Iran again after his release and chose Britain to reside in it and engage in trade to support his wife and two sons.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, an Iraqi intelligence officer said, "Khatami was kidnapped on the tenth of this month on the road between Karbala and Najaf, when he was performing the rituals of the Night of Power with a number of his friends and relatives, to be released later in an area near Salah al-Din Governorate, and Khatami remains kidnapped."[/size]
[size=45]The source, who refused to reveal his identity, added to (Passnews) that “some Iraqi security services received a report about the incident, but the Interior Ministry did not know anything about the matter because those involved in the case knew that they could not do anything, which forced Khatami’s relatives and friends to go to armed groups and militias,” To find out the reason for the kidnapping and the circumstances of the incident ».[/size]
[size=45]In the same context, the prominent Iraqi politician Izzat al-Shabandar spoke about the deteriorating health condition of the kidnapper, whom he described as "an Iraqi with British citizenship."[/size]
[size=45]Shabandar said, through his official account on Twitter, that "leaks indicate that the health condition of the Iraqi kidnapped (holding British nationality), Mr. Muhammad Khatami, is in severe deterioration, noting that he was undergoing regular medical monitoring and continuous drug treatment in his place of residence."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "The hijacker and whoever stands behind it bears full responsibility for the health and safety of the man."[/size]
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[size=45]^{_{Muhammad Khatami}}[/size]
[size=45]Before that, the researcher on Iranian political affairs, Najah Muhammad Ali, published appeals for the release of Khatami, threatening what he described as "changing his convictions and positions in the event that Khatami continues to be kidnapped." More frankly if he is not released, and I will change a lot of my convictions and positions if the barbaric and immoral kidnapping by the kidnappers continues and those behind it.[/size]
[size=45]Observers say that Khatami’s possession of British citizenship will increase the Revolutionary Guards ’bargaining power over the issue of Cheften tanks that were bought by the late Shah of Iran and Britain refused to hand them over to the Khomeinist regime due to the outbreak of war with Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]It seems that Muhammad Khatami, nicknamed (Abu Wafa), has become another bargaining chip in the hands of the Guard in his negotiations with the British Ministry of Defense.[/size]
[size=45]Scenario Rooh Allah Zam[/size]
[size=45]The kidnapping of Khatami repeated the incident that the Iranian opposition journalist, Ruhollah Zam was lured to Baghdad in 2019, under the pretext of holding a meeting with the religious authority in Najaf, but he disappeared after his landing at Baghdad International Airport, to announce days later the Iranian authorities had arrested Zam and his trial, before announcing, Last year, for the execution of the death sentence[/size]
[size=45]Zam lived in exile in France for several years before being arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, under mysterious circumstances.[/size]
[size=45]His arrest was announced in October 2019, but Iran did not specify the place or time of his arrest, accusing the forty-year-old opposition of being "run by French intelligence and supported by American and Israeli intelligence."[/size]
[size=45]However, the information confirms that the journalist came to Iraq after he was lured from Turkey, at the invitation of a cleric who claimed to be close to the religious authority in Najaf, and then he was handed over to the Iranian authorities.[/size]
[size=45]Zam, who has refugee status in France, ran a channel on the Telegram messaging application called "Amad News", and Tehran accused him of playing an active role in moving the protest movement during the winter of 2017-2018.[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the security analyst, retired Major General Mithaq Al-Qaisi, believes, “The incident reveals the role of the Revolutionary Guard in Iraq, its clear link with Iraqi militias, and its transformation of those militias into tools for settling scores with other parties, which represents a threat to the Iraqi national security and the security of foreign individuals entering Iraq. To the country, whether as businessmen, or for tourism, especially since Iraq enjoys religious tourism throughout the year ».[/size]
[size=45]Al-Qaisi added that "the silence of the security services is surprising, despite the passage of several days, which puts a question mark about the nature of the performance of the security services and the role of Iraqi intelligence in uncovering such crimes."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out "the need to persuade the Iranians to keep their activities away from Iraq, and not to implement such actions that harm the country's reputation."[/size]
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