Le Figaro: Zam Was Arrested During Iraq Trip and France Did Not Prevent His Travel
Le Figaro newspaper, Paris edition, providing details on how Ruhollah Zam, manager of the Telegram channel “Amednnews,” was arrested, reported citing its sources that Zam was detained during a trip to Iraq and that French intelligence services facilitated his arrest by not preventing this trip.
In its Tuesday, October 14 edition, the newspaper published an article titled “Espionage: How Iran Arrested an Opponent Living in France,” describing Ruhollah Zam’s arrest story as worthy of a “spy novel.”
According to Le Figaro, forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence organization began their work by sending a young woman to Paris.
This young woman convinced Ruhollah Zam to travel to Iraq to meet with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the leader of Iraqi Shiites and a major rival to Ayatollah Khamenei.
Le Figaro writes that it was likely in the holy city of Najaf where this opponent of the Islamic Republic was arrested by Revolutionary Guards forces and transferred from there to Iran. The Guards’ intelligence forces had identified Ruhollah Zam through his mobile phone and laptop.
Le Figaro’s correspondent, emphasizing that Zam’s arrest is “not merely the neutralization of an ordinary enemy,” continues: “This matter has political dimensions. Formally, the Revolutionary Guards accused Ruhollah Zam of being ‘directed’ by French intelligence services. It is clear that this son of a cleric close to reformists was cooperating with French intelligence services against his country.”
Le Figaro adds, citing the French Interior Ministry, that “this political refugee was under police protection.”
The French Interior Ministry also confirmed Ruhollah Zam’s trip to Iraq in conversation with the newspaper.
Although Le Figaro is the first media outlet to propose the hypothesis of Ruhollah Zam’s arrest during his trip to Iraq based on its sources in the French Interior Ministry, this hypothesis had previously been raised by some political activists and media figures in cyberspace.
For instance, Ali Javaanmardi, a media activist, raised this hypothesis hours after announcing Mr. Zam’s arrest, suggesting he was persuaded to travel to Iraq by a woman from his Amednnews colleagues who, according to Mr. Javaanmardi, was “infiltrated” into the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus.
Mr. Javaanmardi, without citing his sources, had stated that this woman had “significant influence” on Ruhollah Zam and enjoyed his complete trust.
In this hypothesis, the matter of Ruhollah Zam’s promised meeting with Ayatollah Sistani in Najaf and the possibility of financial assistance from this influential Shiite cleric to him were also raised.
Mr. Javaanmardi, however, again without citing his sources, recalled that French police had warned Ruhollah Zam about the danger of traveling to Iraq.
Iranian sources have not yet provided an explanation about how Mr. Zam was arrested, and Monday’s statement from the Revolutionary Guards only refers to a “professional, intelligent, and complex operation” for “directing Ruhollah Zam into the country and his arrest.”
No details about the location of the arrest or the method of detention were announced in this statement.
Within hours of announcing Ruhollah Zam’s arrest, a short video was broadcast on the Islamic Republic television’s 20:30 program in which the former manager of the “Amednnews” channel said his trust in France, which was supposed to protect him, had been a mistake.
“France’s Non-Prevention of Zam’s Travel to Iraq”
Le Figaro continues its report: “In fact, France was able to facilitate Zam’s arrest by the Revolutionary Guards forces by not preventing him from going to Najaf as promised by that woman.”
Citing one of its sources, the newspaper attributed France’s action to “the release of two French prisoners in Iran since June to date”; a case that has Élysée’s hand, which has been able to play the role of mediator in reducing tensions between the United States and Iran.
According to Le Figaro, in addition to Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French researcher, the Revolutionary Guards have also arrested Roland Marchal, her French friend and academic colleague.
Le Figaro writes that Adelkhah is held in a Revolutionary Guards detention facility and France has no consular access to her. However, one of her close relatives told Le Figaro that Mr. Marchal has been transferred to a regular prison and has been able to meet with French diplomats in Tehran.
Le Figaro also reports, citing one of its sources familiar with French-Iranian relations: “The arrest of Mr. Zam, which comes with some degree of cooperation from French intelligence services, could set in motion negotiations regarding the release of Fariba Adelkhah and her friend.”
Le Figaro adds that before that, Tehran may ask France to reverse the decision to extradite an arrested Iranian engineer to the United States.
Le Figaro had previously written, on the occasion of the one-hundredth day of Fariba Adelkhah’s detention, that one of the probable reasons for Fariba Adelkhah’s arrest is that Islamic Republic officials intend to exchange her with an Iranian prisoner in France.
Jalal Ruhollah-Nejad was arrested in France approximately eight months ago, and he is accused of violating American sanctions against Tehran. The French judicial system has agreed to the U.S. request for his extradition to Washington.
Le Figaro also spoke in another section of its report on Ruhollah Zam’s arrest with two of his close acquaintances. One of them, whose name was not mentioned, said that “his [Zam’s] arrest is a common method used by Iranian intelligence services.” The other also said: “I was sure that Iranian authorities would eventually catch him.”
Source: Radio Farda
