4 Iranians Defect to Iraq in Khomeini Aide’s Own Plane
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NICOSIA, Cyprus — Four Iranian defectors landed in Baghdad today aboard the plane of Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Hashemi Rafsanjani, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.
Rafsanjani, a key aide of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was not among the four, who were identified as three pilots and a flight engineer, the agency said in a report monitored in Nicosia.
The report said the Falcon aircraft landed at noon. It identified the plane’s pilot as Ali Akbar Mohammedi.
The agency said Mohammedi held a news conference after landing and appealed to Iraq for political asylum for himself and his three companions.
The agency did not say whether the Baghdad government granted his request.
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