Iran's New President a "Moderate"
“After all, he didn’t kill his hostages…”
London, Jun. 29 – Iran Focus has learnt that the photograph of Iran’s newly-elected president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, holding the arm of a blindfolded American hostage on the premises of the United States embassy in Tehran was taken by an Associated Press photographer in November 1979.
Prior to the first round of the presidential elections on June 17, Iran Focus was the first news service to reveal Ahmadinejad’s role in the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
The identity of Ahmadinejad in the photograph was revealed to Iran Focus by a source in Tehran, whose identity could not be revealed for fear of persecution.
Oh, wait, he didn’t kill hostages, but did he help execute political prisoners?
Defectors from the clerical regime’s security forces have revealed that Ahmadinejad led the firing squads that carried out many of the executions. He personally fired coup de grace shots at the heads of prisoners after their execution and became known as “Tir Khalas Zan” (literally, the Terminator).
I have no idea what biases Iran Focus may be bringing to this story, which quotes mainly anonymous sources.
(From Iran Focus, via JihadWatch. Photo credited to AP, November, 1979. IranFocus has a larger version.)
[Update: If this is of interest, be sure to see The Jawa Report, who has more photos and links in “State Sponsor of Terror Has Terrorist as President: President Elect of Iran Involved in U.S. Embassy Hostage Takings.”]
Just a couple months ago, candidates to the presidential elections in the US were bragging about (and wooing their electorate by) their records in the bloody Vietnam war, and how brave and tough they were… I wonder why nobody ever questionned their moderateness at that time?
State Sponsor of Terror Has Terrorist as President: President Elect of Iran Involved in U.S. Embassy Hostage Takings
President Elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran today. President Elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran in 1979 with an American hostage. If you have any more photos, please send them to me or e-mail me a link. Iran Focus:The identity of Ahmadinejad…
“After all, he didn’t kill his hostages…”
Yes, similar to the argument that “Michael Jackson did not rape all the children that he had encountered in the Neverland ranch, so he is innocent!” :).
Freeman
Adam, I think this post from the Brooding Persian weblog on principled non-voting may interest you.
Hoder, US: Ahmadinejad not Hostage Taker
On June 30th, Hoder says: “As much as I dislike Ahmadinejad, I don’t think the guy in this picture is him. They look similar, but have differenet eyes and eyebrows.” The LA Times. I reported on the story in…