TEHRAN: Irans former Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who has been missing since a crush during Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, may have been kidnapped, his brother claimed on Wednesday.
Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who served in Lebanon for two terms and was said to be closely associated with the Hezbollah, had survived a car bomb earlier in Beirut.
Ahmad Roknabadi talking to Press TV referred to the 2013 twin bombings outside the Iranian Embassy in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, saying that Saudi citizens and people linked to Daesh terrorist group were behind the explosions.
So all these [incidents] have made us very worried that this
happening in Saudi Arabia may be related to all those [that] happened before to him, and maybe he has been kidnapped in Saudi Arabia, Roknabadi said, speaking about his brother.
More than two dozen people, including Irans cultural attaché to Beirut, were killed and at least 150 others injured in November 2013 when two explosions struck near the Iranian Embassy in southern Beirut.
Following the incident, the so-called Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombings. The groups Saudi leader, Majid al-Majid, was arrested in early January 2014 and died days later in a Lebanese jail.
Roknabadi held Saudi officials accountable for the tragic incident in Mina.
Iran meanwhile said it was pursuing the case through the UN and the ICRC.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the September 24 crush in Mina, but officials at Irans Hajj Organization say about 4,700 people, including 464 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives in the incident.
Some 28 Iranians are still missing.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |