Ahmadinejad denies part in 1979 hostage crisis
HoustonChronicle.com - Ahmadinejad denies part in 1979 hostage crisis
Ahmadinejad denies he had a part in 1979 hostage crisis
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
New York Times
TEHRAN, IRAN - A shiny black Peugeot rolled to a stop, and there he was, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president-elect of Iran, smiling through an open window, ready to greet a few of the people who have been coming to his street since he won.
The security men tried to keep a cordon around the car, but the president-elect told them to let the people through. He also let this reporter and a translator approach.
When asked the question preoccupying many Americans about him — Had he been among the students who sacked the U.S. Embassy in 1979 and held American hostages for 444 days? — his driver started to pull out, but Ahmadinejad stopped him and said he would answer.
"It is not true," he said. "It is only rumors."
Since the election a week ago, it has been nearly impossible to get a feel for Ahmadinejad. He has refused all interviews, though he did hold one hourlong news conference.
He is described as an ultra-hard-liner. He has been a member of the Basij militia, which is made up of men who ride through the streets enforcing strict codes of behavior, often brutally. He was also a member of the Revolutionary Guard during the war with Iraq. And he has recently been accused of being one of the student leaders who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, keeping 52 hostages.
The Los Angeles Times, quoting unidentified U.S. officials, reported that U.S. investigators have concluded that Ahmadinejad is not the glowering Islamic militant seen escorting an American hostage in a 1979 photograph that was widely publicized this week.
The conclusion casts doubt on what had been considered a key piece of evidence of his alleged involvement in the embassy takeover.
Ahmadinejad denies he had a part in 1979 hostage crisis
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
New York Times
TEHRAN, IRAN - A shiny black Peugeot rolled to a stop, and there he was, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president-elect of Iran, smiling through an open window, ready to greet a few of the people who have been coming to his street since he won.
The security men tried to keep a cordon around the car, but the president-elect told them to let the people through. He also let this reporter and a translator approach.
When asked the question preoccupying many Americans about him — Had he been among the students who sacked the U.S. Embassy in 1979 and held American hostages for 444 days? — his driver started to pull out, but Ahmadinejad stopped him and said he would answer.
"It is not true," he said. "It is only rumors."
Since the election a week ago, it has been nearly impossible to get a feel for Ahmadinejad. He has refused all interviews, though he did hold one hourlong news conference.
He is described as an ultra-hard-liner. He has been a member of the Basij militia, which is made up of men who ride through the streets enforcing strict codes of behavior, often brutally. He was also a member of the Revolutionary Guard during the war with Iraq. And he has recently been accused of being one of the student leaders who stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, keeping 52 hostages.
The Los Angeles Times, quoting unidentified U.S. officials, reported that U.S. investigators have concluded that Ahmadinejad is not the glowering Islamic militant seen escorting an American hostage in a 1979 photograph that was widely publicized this week.
The conclusion casts doubt on what had been considered a key piece of evidence of his alleged involvement in the embassy takeover.
posted by ltf ha at 8:50 AM
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