Family of Abbas Yazasanpanah Yazdi fear he is dead following claims he was kidnapped by Iranian intelligence officer
Iran-linked agents in
Dubai.
Counter-terrorism officers from Scotland Yard have been called
in to investigate the abduction of a British citizen who is feared to
have been killed by
Sources close to the family of Abbas Yazasanpanah Yazdi, 44, say his body has been found elsewhere in the
United Arab Emirates.
Yazdi,
a father of two and naturalised British national, was last seen on the
afternoon of 25 June leaving his office in Bur Dubai, the commercial
heart of the thriving Gulf state.
Concerns about his safety had
reached senior ministerial level. Last week the foreign secretary,
William Hague, raised Yazdi's disappearance when he spoke by telephone
to his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi.
At the time a
government official was quoted as saying: "We believe that allegations
that elements in Iran might be responsible for Mr Yazdi's disappearance
are plausible, and we are taking them very seriously."
Officers from Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, SO15, have been involved in the investigation into Yazdi's whereabouts.
Yazdi's
body was reported to have been found in Fujairah, one of the UAE's
seven emirates on the coastline of the Gulf of Oman. Ali Reza
Nourizadeh, a close friend of his family and the director of the Centre
for Arab and Iranian studies in London, said the family were informed on
Monday about his death. "Yazdi's wife, Atena, and the whole family is
devastated by the news," he told the Guardian.
Following Hague's
phone call, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Araghchi, told
reporters in Tehran that it had been informed about the issue through
media reports and was investigating the details of his case. "The
Islamic republic of Iran denies that it was involved in any illegal act
in Dubai or any other countries," he said on Sunday.
Yazdi is
believed to hold dual British and Iranian nationality. He is understood
to have spoken to two MPs in London in the weeks before his
disappearance.
Yazdi had just finished giving evidence by video
link to a long-running international arbitration tribunal in The Hague
involving United Arab Emirates-based Crescent Petroleum and the National
Iranian Oil Company when he went missing. There is no suggestion that
this involvement in the arbitration is connected to his disappearance.
Yazdi
had been due to return to complete his testimony the following day. He
never reappeared. His wife feared he had been kidnapped by Iranian
intelligence officers and taken to Iran.
Yazdi had privileged
access to certain Iranian politicians. A close childhood friend was
Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of former president Ayatollah Rafsanjani,
who lived in Britain for three years after 2009.
Atena Yazdi told the 7Days website in the UAE at the time: "If he is still in the UAE I'm sure the
police
can find him. If he's in Iran, it's completely different. I hope and
pray for his safety." Mrs Yazdi moved back to Britain after he
disappeared.
The UK's Serious Fraud Office has been co-operating
with Iran's State General Inspection Organisation (SGIO) which was
seeking information about him, even though the UK does not have
diplomatic relations with Iran. Formal ties between the two countries
were suspended in November 2011.
Among details handed over by the
SFO to Tehran were the contents of Yazdi's online contacts book.
Documents seen by the Guardian show that Iranian officials were told:
"We located an Excel file of addresses in Mr Yazdi's computer. A copy of
the spreadsheet is attached marked 'Address Book'."
Asked why
such details were given to Tehran, a spokesperson for the SFO said: "We
can neither confirm nor deny SFO interest in this matter. Requests for
international assistance are usually dealt with by the Home Office, UK
Central Authority, which is overseen by the secretary of state."
A
spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: "We can confirm that
SO15 counter-terrorism command is investigating the disappearance of
Abbas Yazasanpanah Yazdi, aged 44 years, on the 25 June in Dubai. We are
providing family liaison support at this time. Inquiries continue.
"The
Met police's counter-terrorism command on occasion assists with complex
investigations which have an international element as they have the
most appropriate investigative expertise."
On Thursday, a Foreign
Office spokesperson said: "We are concerned by the reports [of his
death] and are following up with the Emiratis who are leading the
investigation into his disappearance. It would not be appropriate to
speculate."
