Rigi snagged

23 Feb 2010 20:298 Comments

Behind-the-Scenes: Rigi's Arrest

Diplomacy.ir | Feb. 23, 2010

Iran's interior minister said: "Abdolmalek Rigi was arrested outside Iran and was transferred to Iran." He described this act as a sign of the security and intelligence supremacy of Iranian intelligence and security forces.

An informed source told Diplomacy Iran that "Rigi's arrest was made with the cooperation of the Pakistani intelligence agency. Pakistanis have defined a strategy for themselves and based on that they began interaction with the Americans and in truth, they are looking for ways to reduce their costs. The Americans have done almost the same exact thing to Iran."

News reports said that RIgi was in the hospital at the time of his arrest and this shows that with the help of the Pakistani side the ground was prepared for Iran to arrest Rigi.

This only means that events are in motion and that their correspondence is not yet clear. In other words the Iranian and Pakistani intelligence have with the support of the U.S. cooperated on arresting Rigi, but it is not yet clear what the other side wants from Iran in return.

One cannot consider the recent developments and chain of events as pleasing because the groups supporting Rigi by handing him over to Iran are trying to disarm public opinion and later achieve a higher objective.

Without a doubt Rigi was supported by the Pakistani Intelligence Service and worked with the Americans and a number of Arab countries; he even went to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

All these sides used Rigi as their pawn but it is not yet clear what happened that caused them to turn this pawn over to Iran.

It seems that this pawn had lost its usefulness. This is while rumors had been circulating for a while that a person named Molavi Abdoljalil has been introduced as Rigi's replacement and crossing the border back and forth.

Generally speaking, Pakistanis are great tactical players and lousy strategic losers. There is the possibility that they have other plans, other developments are under way, and handing over Rigi has been used as a diversion.

Last week's reports about Molavi and Abdolqani were very important. An unconfirmed news report claimed that Molavi Abdolkabir had also been arrested. Two former Taliban governors have also been taken into custody. These are important developments and in the middle of all this Rigi has been offered to Iran like a piece of candy.

One must ask what will follow these incidents. Has the Pakistani intelligence service suffered a concussion so that henceforth it will not act in a similar manner with Iran or have the Americans had a vision (become visionaries)? It does not seem that far off from truth.

Iran expects Rigi confessions to 'disgrace' US, Europe

IRINN | Tabnak (photos) | Diplomacy.ir | Feb. 23, 2010

Iran's News Network IRINN broadcast a recording of a news conference by Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi on the arrest of bandit ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi.

Asked by a reporter what Iran expected to achieve from Rigi's interrogation and confessions, he said: "Firstly, I have to remind you that we hold very strong and concrete documents regarding this individual's links to the Americans as well as other European and non-European countries. During his interrogation, he will be faced with evidence and documents which he can't believe we have just as he couldn't believe he was arrested -- and he will make good confessions which will be enough to disgrace American and Europe.

He also added that his colleagues at the Intelligence Ministry were preparing documents for the international legal pursuit of the case.

He said: "We hope that we will be able to use the confessions that the individual will make in international organizations."

Moslehi said that no other intelligence service helped Iran in arresting Rigi, and explained: "As I said, the unknown soldiers of the Lord of the Age [intelligence forces] monitored this individual's every move from his original hideout to other places, including in his trip the American base in Afghanistan where the picture I showed you was taken. Everything was carried out through our intelligence management."

This is while the Iran-based Iranian Diplomacy research center, "an independent institution, which abides the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran," attributed Rigi's arrest to the help of the Pakistani intelligence agency and possibly even the United States. The motive was not immediately clear, according to the report.

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