Iranian nuclear scientist accused of spying for the West executed

Shahram Amiri was detained at a secret location after returning to Iran

An Iranian nuclear scientist accused of spying for the West was has been executed.

Shahram Amiri’s mother said the body of her son had been returned to the family with rope marks around his neck, indicating he had been hanged.

Amiri had been held at a secret location after returning from the US in 2010. He reportedly possessed in-depth knowledge of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Amiri, said to be in his 30s, went missing in 2009, surprisingly surfacing in the US a year later. He claimed he had been kidnapped and pressured by the CIA to reveal "sensitive information."



In a video recording he said, “They [CIA] took me to a house located somewhere that I didn’t know. They gave me an anaesthetic injection.” In another video he claimed to have escaped from US custody. He returned to Tehran in 2010 and spent the remainder of his life in detention.

His family said at the time, "He has been detained [by Iranian authorities] and we fear for his life."

US officials had told BBC, "Mr Amiri had defected of his own free will and provided useful information to the US."

This story originally appeared on BBC