A retired FBI agent who vanished six years ago in Iran, reportedly during a botched, off-the-books CIA operation, was definitely detained by Iranian authorities despite Tehran’s denials, the last known person to see him alive has insisted.
Robert Levinson is almost certainly still in Iranian custody if he is still alive, Dawud Salahuddin, an Iran-based American fugitive, told the Christian Science Monitor in a an interview on Monday.
Mr Salahuddin, an African-American convert to Islam wanted for a 1980 murder in the US, said Mr Levinson had tried to recruit him as an informant when the two met on the Iranian resort island of Kish in March 2007.
Mr Levinson had flown in from Dubai, presenting himself as a private investigator looking into cigarette smuggling.
As they parted after a six-hour meeting in a plush hotel, plainclothes police arrested Levinson in the lobby, the fugitive said.
The US government has insisted that Mr Levinson, a devoted father of seven who would be 65 if still alive, was merely a private businessman on a trip overseas when he disappeared.
However, citing emails and documents, the Associated Press revealed last week that he was in fact part of a rogue CIA operation to gather intelligence on Iran’s nuclear programme and financial dealings.
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Sunday repeated his country’s official position that Tehran had no knowledge of Mr Levinson’s whereabouts, insisting his fate was a “mystery”.
But Mr Salahuddin said the revelations that Mr Levinson was working for the CIA could now enable Iran to release him. As long as the US was insisting that Mr Levinson was not a spy, it was hard for the Islamic Republic to admit it had detained him, he said.
“It allows the Iranians to justify all their lies for all these years because they had an actual intelligence operative, which is quite valid,” Mr Salahuddin told the Monitor.
He denied suggestions he had orchestrated Mr Levinson’s arrest. “I’ve seen all these things, that I set up the guy and all that. Listen, I don’t do things like that – that’s not part of my make-up,” he said.
Mr Salahuddin, 63, an American born into a Baptist family on Long Island, was known as David Belfield until he converted to Islam at the age of 18. He fled to Tehran 33 years ago after assassinating a pro-Shah critic of Iran’s nascent Islamic revolutionary regime in a Washington suburb.
Mr Levinson was last heard of early in 2011 when a video was released by his unidentified captors showing him gaunt, bushy-bearded and dressed in a Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuit.
mtheodoulou@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The%C2%A0specs%20
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
HOW TO WATCH
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
FIXTURES
New Zealand v France, second Test
Saturday, 12.35pm (UAE)
Auckland, New Zealand
South Africa v Wales
Sunday, 12.40am (UAE), San Juan, Argentina