Iran executed a British-Iranian man who was sentenced to death on charges of spying for British intelligence, Iran’s judicial news agency, Mizan Online, reported on Saturday.
Alireza Akbari, 61, was executed after being convicted of “corruption on earth and attacking the country’s internal and external security by transmitting intelligence information,” according to the judiciary’s news agency.
She added, “The actions of British intelligence in this case showed the value of the convict, the importance of his arrival, and the enemy’s confidence in him.”
And London demanded that Tehran cancel what Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described as a “politically motivated” execution. The government press reported on Thursday that Akbari held senior positions in Iran’s defense apparatus.
Among his positions are “Deputy Secretary of Defense for International Affairs” and a position in the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council. Akbari also held the position of “Adviser to the Commander of the Navy,” in addition to “heading a division at the Research Center of the Ministry of Defense.”
In a video released by the Iranian press, Akbari can be seen talking about what appears to be his contacts with Britain. He also says he was consulted by the British about Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in November 2020 in an attack that Tehran blamed on Israel.
The “spy key” of the British Foreign Secret Service
Akbari, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988, He was arrested sometime between March 2019 and March 2020, according to state media.
Citing a statement from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, Mizan said this week that Akbari had become The “chief spy” of the British Foreign Intelligence ServiceKnown as MI6, due to the “importance of its location”.
Akbari’s execution comes as Iran continues to be affected by protests sparked by the death on September 16 of Mohsa Amini, 22, after she was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
The Iranian judiciary confirmed that 18 people had been sentenced to death because of the protests, according to an AFP tally based on official statements. Four have already been executed.
