IRAN: 'American' detained as alleged spy amid crackdown on Christians [Updated]
[Updated, Jan. 6, 10:56 a.m.: Iran's state-controlled Al-Alam television channel is quoting an "informed source" as denying reports by other news outlets that an American woman had been arrested at the Armenian border. According to Iran's Arabic language channel, the woman arrived at the border requesting entry but was denied entrance because she did not have a visa.]
A woman referred to by authorities as American, who is of possible Armenian Christian descent, has been arrested on espionage charges, an Iranian newspaper reported Thursday, as officials launched a major crackdown on the country's Christian minority for alleged proselytizing.
According to the Iranian daily newspaper Iran, a mouthpiece of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the 55-year-old "American" was detained in the Iranian-Armenian border city of Nordouz.
Customs officials allegedly discovered she was carrying hidden "spy equipment" and microphones on her body.
According to the privately owned conservative Iranian news website Tabnak, the woman -- identified in media reports as Hal Talayan -- had spy equipment in her teeth at the time of arrest and feared she'd be killed by Armenian security forces if she were returned to Armenia.
"If sent back to Armenia by the Islamic Republic of Iran, then the security forces of that country will kill her," Tabnak quoted her as saying.
The semiofficial Fars News Agency, quoting a "well-informed source," reported that the woman was detained by customs officials a week ago.
Meanwhile, Iran appears to be ratcheting up pressure on the country's mostly Armenian Christian minority, reportedly arresting Christian leaders and missionaries on accusations of promoting "hard-line" religious views with foreign backing. Morteza Tamadon, the governor of Tehran province, where the Christians reportedly were detained, said more arrests would be carried out soon.
Christianity is recognized as a religion in Iran, but Christians there are not allowed to proselytize.
"The leaders of this movement have been arrested in Tehran province, and more will be arrested in the near future," he was quoted as saying to the state-run Islamic Republic news agency by Agence France-Presse.
It was not immediately clear what group the governor was referring to in his statements, which coincided with celebrations marking the Armenian Orthodox Church's Christmas. But he described the suspects as "deviants" backed by Britain and similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"Just like the Taliban ... who have inserted themselves into Islam like a parasite, they have crafted a movement with Britain's backing in the name of Christianity," Tamaddon said.
In the report, he called the detained Christians tabshiri, which translates as "missionaries" in Persian.
The nationalities of those arrested, their exact number and the exact date of the arrests are not known, but some Iranian political opposition websites claim that more than 60 Christians have been detained in Iran during the holiday season, including a priest who was picked up Friday in the city of Isfahan by security authorities and taken into custody, according to the Saham News website.
-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut and Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran
Photo: Baptistry of Vank Church in Isfahan, Iran. Credit: Fabienkhan / Wikimedia
HAL TALAYAN IS NOT AN ARMENIAN NAME OR LAST NAME. JEWS FROM IRAN HAVE -YAN OR -IAN ENDING LAST NAMES TO TRY TO MIMIC ARMENIANS, PROBABLY TO AVOID PERSECUTION. I AM 100% SURE THAT THE ALLEGED SPY IS NOT ARMENIAN.
Posted by: MINAS | January 06, 2011 at 08:35 PM
hass above me is correct, that's an armenian church in isfahan
Posted by: Kevin | January 06, 2011 at 07:10 PM
As oppose to Iran, there're few rogue nations in world which are assassinating and limiting economical well being of their adversaries citizens without differentiating between civilians and military targets, and that's the truth!
In this case, lets wait and see how this story develops, it's not clear if she was spying in Armenia or/and Iran assuming if such person have been arrested with spy gears at a first place!
The crack down on Christians in Iran seems to be bogus story being published by western adversary camps and their associates, Christians in Iran are aware of laws against proselytizing others regardless of some branches of Christianity which are the only religion in world with active recruiting program through their missionaries, nevertheless majority of non Christian world do harm Christian missionaries as it's evident in China and Israel among majority of Moslem countries and others, partly because of religious ideology and also aggressive recruitment by Christian missionaries since not many masses want to be a like Christianized indigenous people of America or Australia!
Posted by: Joe | January 06, 2011 at 06:21 PM
And Iran wonders why they have an international credibility issue.
Posted by: Jorge Sanchez | January 06, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Islamist intolerance over and over again! Why doesn't the West reciprocate and arrest any Muslim for no reason whatsoever?
Posted by: J Magennis | January 06, 2011 at 11:29 AM
I have no pity for anyone, from anywhere, who goes to one of these terrorist countries. They get what they deserve. They shouldn't be there in the first place.
Posted by: West Valley Dave | January 06, 2011 at 09:31 AM
Two of the three American hikers that strayed into Iran in July 2009 were labeled as spies and are still rotting in jail without having a trial. The woman hiker was released after paying $500,000 for "bail."
Posted by: just_a_voter | January 06, 2011 at 09:28 AM
Maybe it was just an iPod she had on her.
Posted by: Ray | January 06, 2011 at 09:13 AM
If you're an American, don't go to a country that hates us. This is what will happen to you. It's called common sense and it'll save you a world of trouble.
Posted by: manicdrummer | January 06, 2011 at 07:52 AM
Wow, Iran arrested American female 007.
Posted by: Holly | January 06, 2011 at 07:43 AM
It would be nice if this article didn't:
1- Confuse the arrest of this person with an alleged "crackdown on Christians", and
2- Mentioned that the "crackdown" is on evangelical missionaries and not Christians in general, and
3- That the photo is of a Christian Cathedral in Isfahan, which is one of many churches in Iran (along with synagogues) that operate freely as both Christianity and Judaism are officially-recognized religions there.
Posted by: hass | January 06, 2011 at 07:22 AM