Wife of Iranian general: Evidence shows he was abducted

"He will never seek asylum. He had no problems in Iran that would suggest him to take refuge."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iran general 298 (photo credit: Channel 10)
Iran general 298
(photo credit: Channel 10)
The wife of a retired former Iranian deputy defense minister who went missing in Turkey urged authorities to investigate his disappearance, state-run radio reported. Ziba Ahmadi, the wife of Ali Reza Asghari, said her husband, who has five children, did not defect to Turkey and she believes "some evidence" shows he was abducted. "Some evidence shows that my husband was abducted. But it is not clear by whom," Ahmadi said on the radio without elaborating. "He will never seek asylum. He had no problems in Iran that would suggest him to take refuge," she added. "We asked Turkish Embassy officials to follow his case." Asghari, 46, a retired general in the elite Revolutionary Guards and a former deputy defense minister, had arrived in Turkey on a private visit from Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 7 and disappeared on Dec. 9, his wife told state radio. Ahmadi said she went to Iranian authorities for help after she got worried because her husband's phone had been shut off. Iran's top police chief, Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghaddam, has said Iran was investigating with Turkish police and it was likely that he was kidnapped by Western intelligence services. He did not elaborate, and Iranian officials have not provided more details. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed it is looking for Asghari after Iranian authorities informed Turkey a couple weeks ago that one of its citizens was missing, a Turkish official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because not he was not allowed to speak to the media. Turkey's Foreign Ministry has notified "relevant authorities" and have started a missing persons search, the official said. So far, no information has been found, he said.