Majid Jamali Fash - met agents in Istanbul
Photo: AFP
Murdered scientist - Professor Massoud ali-Mohammadi
The Islamic Republic's official news agency on Thursday aired the full interview it held with the young man who admitted to murdering a nuclear scientist last
year. Majid Jamali Fash described at length his visit to Tel Aviv and Herzliya, the training he received at Mossad headquarters and the day of the assassination.
Working Methods
Dudi Cohen
Islamic Republic's intelligence minister says team that assassinated nuclear scientist in January 2010 was not involved in similar incident in November. Two killings were only operations carried out by Mossad on Iranian soil in 2010, he adds
The Iranian government claimed this week that it arrested over 10 people over suspicions that they assassinated senior physicist Professor Massoud ali-Mohammadi using a booby-trapped motorcycle which was set off near his home on January 12, 2010. The main suspect in the assassination, Majid Jamali Fash, 28, was even put in front of the cameras to talk about his recruitment to the Mossad.
In the interview, which aired this week, Fash told of how he visited Tel Aviv and was trained by the Mossad on methods for operating demolition charges. The full confession was aired in Iran on Thursday and offered a sneak peek into Iran's propaganda system.
Jamali Fash didn't use the word 'Mossad'; he just discussed a visit that allegedly occurred in Israel and meeting with Israeli officers "Johnny, Omer and Mickey," who trained him for the mission.
In the interview he explained why he agreed to join the Mossad, and his statements made it seem like he wasn't aware of who his assassination target was. In addition he complained that his handlers only paid him half of the agreed upon sum. "I was promised $50,000 but they only paid me half the sum. I don't know what happened."
'We spoke through microphone'
"My name is Majid Jamali Fash, and I first made the acquaintance of the Israeli intelligence services around three years ago when I travelled to Istanbul for the second time," the young man said and added that during his trip to Turkey, a man called Radfur approached him. He claims that Radfur suggested accompanying him to the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where he was asked many questions and given many forms to fill.
"I went into the room but we were separated and I was asked many questions," the Iranian suspect added. "Before that, I was given various forms detailing my cooperation, which I filled out. Of course, I didn't see anyone and we spoke via a microphone." He alleges that Israel paid for his hotel room during his week long stay and eventually sent him back to Iran to collect intelligence about "a certain place".
Three months later Jamali Fash returned to Turkey where he met his Mossad contact, Bahram. "On my next visit they gave me a polygraph test. An Israeli doctor and an Iranian interpreter were there, as was Bahram." Jamali Fash claimed that it was at this point that Mossad agents trained him on how to gather intelligence in public places.
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