Iranian spies arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan

May 20, 2013- ncr-iran.org – ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— Iraqi Kurdistan has arrested 40 Iranian spies including those posing as journalists in Kurdish propaganda organizations.

The regime’s undercover agents have been given ten days to leave the country or face legal action, security official in the city of Erbil reported. Independent Kurdish magazine Livinpress said: “The Iranian regime has sent intelligence agent to work undercover in countries it sees as its enemies. “This has occurred on several occasion in Iraqi Kurdistan in recent years.”

A report recently published by the Netherlands AIVD Intelligence and Security Service also revealed Iranian regime’s spies are working undercover in Europe to smear the reputation of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the main Iranian opposition group.

“It appears that the Iranian intelligence has a European network for this activity and that also is active in Netherlands,” the report said.

In January the Austrian daily Die Presse reported that a 64-page report on Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) published by the research division of the U.S. Library of Congress in December 2012 in Washington said: “Vienna,.. is allegedly full of MOIS agents.” Security experts estimate that in Austria, more than 100 people are working for the Iranian intelligence, or at least provide some legwork. Their job is not only to monitor Iranian opposition in exile or to put them under pressure, as the U.S. report stated.