Iran court sentences former U.S. Marine to death

[hanswu25]

Iran court sentences former U.S. Marine to death | The Envoy - Yahoo! News

Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine Arabic language translator in Iraq, was born in Arizona and raised in Michigan. His family in Michigan, former colleagues and American government officials say Hekmati never served in the CIA and was in Iran to visit his grandmother.

[Dreadnought]

Big surprise there given those that judged him.

Its still not going to stop the sanctions from gripping their economy.

[Doktor]

Is there ongoing investigation in the USA about hs statements?

Few men in black should be checking his past and his contacts if you ask me.:fish:

[hanswu25]

Why checking on him? There are many ways to force a human being sign or state anything. I still remember an American held by Khmer Rouge in Cambodia who wrote a whole story how he had been recruited and trained by the Agency since he was a little kid.

[Dreadnought]

If you question their authority or if you have been out of the country and anywhere near America you are a spy. This I foresee backfiring on them if they go through with it. They blackmail the grandparents hes visiting in Iran to keep quiet and maybe they will let him go as they use him as a political pawn. Pronouce him a spy and give him the death penalty. Tells you what kind of men hold "judgement" in that country. Scared men, scared of losing their positions and will to do anything to preserve themselves in a seat of power over the people. Everyone is a spy even if you have not been anywhere since arriving. I hope this sinks in to the Iranians as the bogus election season draws near.

[Doktor]

Why checking on him? There are many ways to force a human being sign or state anything. I still remember an American held by Khmer Rouge in Cambodia who wrote a whole story how he had been recruited and trained by the Agency since he was a little kid.

He was a marine, I suppose he had some training for such events, even if he was tortured, he made the claim he was about to sell Iranians some US secrets.

Why it is not reasonable to check those claims

[USSWisconsin]

It sounds like a sad story. I am inclined to believe that he was there for the reasons stated - to visit his Grandmother. Torturing him into confessing the moon is made of green cheese and is owned by the king of Venus, just demonstrates what the Iranian regeim is capable of. If he wanted to sell them secrets, why would he even need to go there? What kind of secrets could he have? What could he see in Iran, while visiting his grandmother, that our intellegence people don't already know about? Looking at his picture, he doesn't look like someone who make a good spy - he looks like a marine.

[BellyBuster]

If you question their authority or if you have been out of the country and anywhere near America you are a spy. This I foresee backfiring on them if they go through with it. They blackmail the grandparents hes visiting in Iran to keep quiet and maybe they will let him go as they use him as a political pawn. Pronouce him a spy and give him the death penalty. Tells you what kind of men hold "judgement" in that country. Scared men, scared of losing their positions and will to do anything to preserve themselves in a seat of power over the people. Everyone is a spy even if you have not been anywhere since arriving. I hope this sinks in to the Iranians as the bogus election season draws near.

I'm fairly certain there are plenty of Iranians who know their government is bogus, and that it uses captives from the west as tools. I don't know if this man is a spy--how can I or anyone who is not involved know? I seriously doubt it, though. At any rate, I do know the government of Iran is using him. What they expect to gain from threatening an American with death (and this ain't the first time they've done it) is I don't know either.
At some point this nonsense is going to come to a head. I think it'll be sooner rather than later.

[Dreadnought]

I'm fairly certain there are plenty of Iranians who know their government is bogus, and that it uses captives from the west as tools. I don't know if this man is a spy--how can I or anyone who is not involved know? I seriously doubt it, though. At any rate, I do know the government of Iran is using him. What they expect to gain from threatening an American with death (and this ain't the first time they've done it) is I don't know either.
At some point this nonsense is going to come to a head. I think it'll be sooner rather than later.

Flip side of the coin is this...He's an Iranian citizen too. And for all the regime knows the grandparents being elder and citizens may be well liked and respected by the common Iranian people too.

On another note, What does this say for any Iranian citizen who wants to visit home holding a duel citizenship from any country in the west.....

U.S. Census
Iranian Americans are far more numerous in the United States than census data indicate, according to research done by the Iranian Studies Group, an independent academic organization, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The group estimates that the number of Iranian Americans may have topped 691,000 in 2004—more than twice the figure of 338,000 cited in the 2000 U.S. census.[4]

According to extrapolated U.S. Census data and other independent surveys done by Iranian-Americans themselves in 2009, there are an estimated 1–1.5 million Iranian-Americans living in the U.S.,[6] with the largest concentration—about 720,000 people—living around Los Angeles.[6][25] For this reason, the L.A. area with its Iranian American residents is sometimes referred to as "Tehrangeles" or "Irangeles" among Iranian-Americans.[26] An NPR report recently put the Iranian population of Beverly Hills as high as 20% of the total population. Other large communities include New York; New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; and Dallas, Texas.[6] Iranian-American organizations, including the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, the Iranian American Bar Association and the Iranian Alliances Across Borders have banded together to form the 2010 Census Coalition, focusing on educating the Iranian-American diaspora about the 2010 Census.

I guess these people should not travel to Iran either in lue of being arrested, called a spy and sentenced to death either.

[snapper]

Chances that this chap was a spy? Nil; OR he was extra specialy bad spy.

[dave lukins]

Looking at his picture, he doesn't look like someone who make a good spy - he looks like a marine.

Would he make a good spy if he looked like a Navy Seal? ;)

[Doktor]

I still don't get it why there should not be ongoing investigation in the USA?

[Chogy]

This thing reeks as being 100% politically motivated.

Iran has specialized in distracting her people from domestic issues and pointing to the Jew and the Brit-Amerikan as immediate and dangerous external threats. Keep people jazzed up about "spies, saboteurs, assassins" and there's less angst over domestic freedoms and social issues.

Much like the hiker "spies." How likely is it for the CIA to insert three caucasian spies who cannot blend in or speak the language, on foot over the Iraqi border?

It's the same old story. Take hostages, declare them to be spies, and use them in whatever way they deem desirable. Maybe we should sweep up a few Iranians in the USA and declare them spies in a tit for tat. I know "We as a people don't do that" but part of me would like to see it. This hostage crap is getting old.

[Doktor]

I am not saying this Marine dude is a spy.

All I am saying that US agencies (thin FBI) should make a thorough check if he was one. Not to send him on trial or something, just a double check. Seems more reasonable to me then to sit and say, "no way he is a spy".

[Chogy]

I am not saying this Marine dude is a spy.

All I am saying that US agencies (thin FBI) should make a thorough check if he was one. Not to send him on trial or something, just a double check. Seems more reasonable to me then to sit and say, "no way he is a spy".

Doktor - I'm not quite understanding you. This guy is in the custody of Iran, charged by Iran. If he was supplying U.S. military secrets to Iran, he wouldn't have been accused by them. Are you saying we (U.S. authorities) should be suspicious of him?