Thieves mistaken for nuclear saboteurs in Iran

Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi says four people who have been arrested recently on the charges of nuclear sabotage have proven to be simply scrap iron thieves, the state-run media outlet Press TV reports on Wednesday.

Alavi’s remarks followed the statement made on October 6 by Iran’s nuclear boss Ali Akbar Salehi about the arrest of four individuals who planned to sabotage a nuclear energy facility. 

“These four were not saboteurs. Because there was scrap iron and steel [piled up] on the premises of the [nuclear] site, they had cut holes into the fence of a 1.5-meter wall surrounding the site to gather scrap iron and sell it on the market,” Alavi is quoted as saying by Press TV.

 “In fact, these people were thieves and not nuclear saboteurs and they were residents of the village near the power plant and they were repeat offenders,” the Iranian minister is quoted as saying