US says Iran's Ministry of Intelligence was directly involved in the assassination of Masoud Molavi; details of his murder in Türkiye
A senior US official told Reuters on Wednesday that the United States believes Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security was directly involved in the killing of a government "dissident" in Turkey last November.
According to the report, a senior US official, who was not named, told Reuters that given the history of targeted assassinations of Iranian dissidents and the methods previously used in Turkey, the US government believes that "the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence was directly involved in the murder of Vardanjani."
Former intelligence officer; whistleblower against the Islamic Republic
Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was shot and killed in the Şişli neighborhood of Istanbul on November 13, 2019. Reuters had previously reported that two intelligence agents at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul were involved in Mr. Vardanjani's murder.
Some media outlets have named Massoud Molavi as a former Iranian intelligence officer who later became a government dissident. He was the administrator of a Telegram channel called "Black Box" that published material against government officials, including judicial officials.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also tweeted that "reports that Iranian diplomats were involved in the assassination attempt on a [regime] dissident in Turkey are disturbing, but entirely consistent with their missions."
What are they saying about this "terror" in Türkiye?
Turkish police have previously said the killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani was unusual. Turkish officials also told Reuters last week that Ankara would soon provide the Iranian government with an official response on the case and the role of Iranian officials with diplomatic passports in the incident.
Meanwhile, the Turkish newspaper Sabah also published more details about the murder of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani on Tuesday, April 1. In its report, the newspaper compared the similarities of this murder to the murder of Khashoggi, a journalist critical of Saudi Arabia.
The report mentions an Iranian named Ali Esfanjani, whom Massoud Molavi met with in Istanbul. The newspaper writes that Massoud Molavi was unaware that Esfanjani had given his information to two Iranian businessmen who worked for Iranian intelligence.
The Turkish newspaper Sabah reported that on November 13, Ali Esfanjani met with Abdulwahab Kocak, who is accused of killing Massoud Molavi, before the murder. After that, Ali Esfanjani met with Massoud Molavi and they were walking on the street when Abdulwahab Kocak shot Massoud Molavi 11 times in the back of the head.
The Turkish newspaper Sabah wrote that after the murder of Masoud Molavi, Ali Esfanjani obtained fake travel documents (fake passports) from the Islamic Republic's consulate in Istanbul and fled to Iran under a fake name with the help of forces suspected of being part of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Meanwhile, Turkish security forces arrest a person named "Siavash Abazari Shalmandazari", who had helped Ali Esfanjani escape.
According to the report, Abdulvahab Kocak, accused of killing Masoud Molavi, was hiding in a place belonging to "Naji Sharifi Zindashti", a fugitive drug trafficker who was arrested by Turkish police, after his assassination. Abdulvahab Kocak's brother, "Ali", is also suspected of killing the director of the Jam TV network in Turkey.
Source: Voice of America
