Thai court frees Iranian in US arms case

Top air force officer was facing charges of trying to export US missile parts to Islamic Republic.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A high-ranking Iranian air force officer facing charges of trying to export US missile parts to Iran was released from custody after a Thai court denied his extradition. Jamshid Ghassemi, 57, was released after a Thai appellate court upheld the rejection of the US extradition request, US authorities were told by Thai officials last week. "We were disappointed with the Thai court's decision," said Cynthia Brown, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Bangkok. "We believe that the law and facts supported the extradition of Mr. Ghassemi to the United States." The episode comes as the US is seeking to extradite alleged Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout, dubbed "The Merchant of Death," on charges of conspiring to kill Americans. A US agent testified in a Thai court Monday that Bout is one of the world's biggest arms dealers. It also comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Teheran as Iran pursues a nuclear program in defiance of US and international demands. Ghassemi was charged in October 2006 by a federal grand jury in San Diego with conspiring to buy 12 accelerometers. The model of the Honeywell International Inc. devices he allegedly sought are for missile guidance and banned for export without permission from the State Department. The complaint says Ghassemi wired $70,000 from a bank in Romania to San Diego to pay for the devices, which were to be sent to Bucharest. He was arrested in Bangkok in November 2006 and faced up to 45 years prison if convicted of weapons export and money laundering charges. A spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, Tharit Charungvat, said the court's ruling should be respected. Court documents are not public in Thailand, but a defense affidavit in Thailand obtained by The Associated Press makes several arguments for Ghassemi's release, all of them challenged by US authorities. Ghassemi's Thai attorney said that the US filed extradition documents too late, that Ghassemi would be tortured in the US to reveal military secrets, and that the extradition treaty between the US and Thailand exempts "military" offenses. The case is unusual because the devices are far more sophisticated than typical arms trafficking cases involving Iran, which typically involve parts to replace its aging fleet of jets that the US supplied before shah's fall in 1979, according to US law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. One US official said Ghassemi was a significant player because the technology he sought was so sophisticated. "They are extremely sensitive items. That's why they're so tightly controlled," the official said. US officials said the parts were likely intended for Iran's Shahab short- and medium-range missiles. The case is also striking because Ghassemi was a high-ranking military officer in Iran, US authorities said. Ghassemi's Thai attorney, Kittipong Kiettanapoom, acknowledged in the April 2007 affidavit obtained by the AP that his client tried to buy the accelerometers on his government's orders. The defense attorney's phone number listed on the affidavit was not working. Messages left with the Iranian mission to the United Nations were not returned. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement began investigating after an agency source said he met Ghassemi about five times in Teheran to discuss buying aircraft parts for Iran and suggested shipping them from the US through Dubai, South Africa or South Korea, US authorities said. They said Ghassemi told the source he could pocket at least $400,000 in six months. US authorities told the AP that Ghassemi also was in talks to buy 12 Honeywell gyroscopes to guide missiles.