IRGC Intelligence Interrogates Mahan Air Flight Crew on Suspicion of Spying for Israel
IRGC Intelligence interrogated Mahan airline flight crew on suspicion of spying for Israel.
According to reports published on the Israeli website “HaYom,” the security agencies of the Islamic Republic are deeply concerned following the attack on the consulate building of the Islamic Republic in Damascus, to the extent that the international flight crew of “Mahan Air” has been interrogated by IRGC Intelligence.
One of the flight attendants of Mahan Airlines said in this regard: “When our flight returned from Bangkok, airport security personnel and Mahan security officers took our suitcases, opened them, and inspected our belongings one by one. Then they asked us to remove our clothes and even inspected our underwear.”
It should be noted that the aforementioned interrogation order was issued after the identification of the presence and killing of a number of IRGC commanders and officers and Hezbollah members in Syria and Lebanon. The killing of these individuals has created considerable concerns for the authorities of the Islamic Republic.
Additionally, Colonel “Gholamreza Shams Noraei,” the security director of Mahan Air, issued an order to begin inspections of flight crew members working on international routes following the attack on the consulate building of the Islamic Republic in Damascus. As a result of this order issued by Colonel Noraei, hundreds of male and female flight attendants and crew members were inspected, and IRGC Intelligence interrogations of 60 of them continue.
Another flight attendant on this flight returning from Thailand and China said: “After we returned, they brought two buses for our inspection, one for female flight attendants and another for male flight attendants and crew. They forced us to board the buses. They brought our suitcases and opened them one by one and inspected all our belongings. Then they asked us to remove our clothes and then inspected the clothes, even our underwear, and recorded the entire process.”
According to this flight attendant’s statement, the flight crew objected to these inspections. He added: “When we asked why these actions were being taken, they told us the purpose was to prevent unauthorized mobile phones from entering Iran. However, during these inspections, they confiscated every electronic device we had, even headphones we had bought at the airport. Then they apparently grounded us for purchasing electronic devices outside of Iran.”
According to the statement of one of the maintenance and repair engineers of the Airbus A340 aircraft of Mahan, returning aircraft from Istanbul in October were also subject to IRGC Intelligence inspections. He said in this regard: “They brought buses to conduct the inspections. To calm the flight crew, Mahan Air security told them the purpose was to prevent smuggling of electronic devices. However, this justification was not accepted, because these inspections are always conducted at airport X-ray machines and this is not the work of Mahan Air security.”
Representatives of Mahan Airlines’ security department, following the aforementioned inspections and interrogations, informed the flight crew of the grounding of flight attendants during a security briefing session. The grounding of flight attendants means those who currently do not have the right to fly, as they may have cooperated with intelligence organizations of enemy countries, including Israel, because they possessed electronic devices that could be used for espionage.
