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Iranian diplomat abducted in Yemen released, returns home

Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, (front left), who was kidnapped by gunmen in Yemen in July 2013, lands in Tehran on March 5, 2015.

An Iranian diplomat kidnapped by gunmen in Yemeni capital, Sana'a, in 2013 has returned home after being released.

Nour Ahmad Nikbakht's plane landed in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on Thursday. He was greeted by Iranian officials and his tearful relatives and family members.

Nikbakht was kidnapped on July 21, 2013, on his way to work from his home in the diplomatic quarter of Sana’a, when unidentified gunmen blocked the road, forced him out of his vehicle and abducted him.

Special efforts for Nikbakht's release

Following his arrival in Tehran, Nikbakht met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, where the recently released diplomat thanked the Islamic Republic officials for their efforts to secure his safe release.

“I was kidnapped by armed terrorists on my way to the embassy from home. I was then held hostage," he said, adding, "“The officials at Foreign Ministry and Intelligence Ministry and other related organizations made great efforts [for my release]. I express my sincere gratitude to all of them.”

Amir-Abodllahian, for his part, said Iran had set up a "special committee involving all the relevant parties" to work toward Nikbakht's freedom. "The efforts led to a special taskforce established by the Islamic Republic’s Intelligence Ministry."

"Through a series of complex and arduous operations inside a restive region of Yemen Mr. Nikhbakht was freed from the clutches of the terrorists," Amir-Abdollahian added.

No terrorist demands met

Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi (shown above) told reporters at a press conference later in the day that Nikbakht’s release was secured without Iran meeting any of the preconditions set by the terrorists.

Alavi said Nikbakht’s freedom comes as “terrorist groups have taken people from various countries hostage, beheaded them, burned them alive and released the footage on the Internet while their respective countries have been unsuccessful in liberating the hostages from the grips [of the terrorists].”

Alavi added that hostage takers must know that the Islamic Republic will never give in to any demands of ransom seekers, adding that the Intelligence Ministry would safeguard the interests of the country and not allow its reputation to be tarnished.

Iran shows intelligence might

In an interview with Press TV, Foad Izadi , a Tehran-based political analyst from the University of Tehran, also hailed the release of the abducted diplomat, saying the move indicates the prowess of the country’s Intelligence Ministry.

He added that the successful operation could not have happened overnight and the release of the Iranian diplomat was the result of a months-long endeavor.

“This shows that Iranian organizations and government agencies are capable of conducting operations and engaging in activities that can actually result in positive outcomes," adding that such capabilities are "basically the tools of conducting business internationally.“

HJM/HMV


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