Iranian Seized for Waite Trade, Magazine Says
BEIRUT — Ash Shiraa, the magazine that first reported the secret U.S. arms sale to Iran, said Thursday that an Iranian Embassy employee has been kidnaped in Muslim West Beirut and that the abductors have offered to trade him for missing Anglican Church hostage negotiator Terry Waite.
Ash Shiraa is aligned with Iranian radicals and is known to have sources close to the Iranian and Syrian governments.
Iranian Embassy officials said they have no record of an alleged kidnap victim.
There have been no reports for the last three weeks regarding Waite’s whereabouts or the fate of 23 other missing foreigners, including eight Americans.
Waite disappeared Jan. 20 after leaving his West Beirut hotel to meet with captors of American hostages, most of whom are believed held by Shia Muslim extremists loyal to Iran.
Numerous Reported Sightings
Various reports since have said that Waite was being held captive, was seen moving about freely in West Beirut, was wounded while trying to escape and had been killed.
Syria, which has 25,000 soldiers stationed in east and north Lebanon, sent more than 7,000 of them into the city’s Muslim sector two months ago to stop a factional war, but the troops have not entered the Shia slums of southern Beirut. Most foreign captives are believed to be held there.
The magazine said, “Armed elements have kidnaped Mohammed Khatami, an employee of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. . . , offering to swap him for Waite.â€
It did not cite sources or say when the alleged kidnaping occurred but reported that Khatami is being held “at an apartment run by a political party outside Beirut.â€
Hints at Druze Party
Ash Shiraa did not name the organization but strongly hinted at Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, whose militia was in charge of Waite’s security.
“Khatami was kidnaped from an automobile dealer’s office in lower Mosseitbeh,†a Druze stronghold in West Beirut, Ash Shiraa said.
A man who identified himself only as the telephone operator at the militia’s office in West Beirut said, “No officials are available to comment on the report.â€
According to the magazine, Khatami was abducted “following the failure of all efforts by PSP (the Druze party) officials and Jumblatt in person to obtain Waite’s release.â€
No group has claimed to hold Waite. Jumblatt has accused the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, or Party of God, and Hezbollah has denied it.
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