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As US military aircraft headed west from Damascus with ailing American hostage Alan Polhill, released from captivity in Lebanon April 22, and malnourished and angry American hostage Frank Reed, released April 30. American media depicted the releases as a triumph within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary regime of "moderates," headed by Iranian President Ali Akhbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
A check of air traffic headed east, however, leads to different conclusions. In the brief interval between the releases of the two Americans by Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi'i kidnappers, terrorists allegedly operating from the Iranian Embassy in Berne and the Iranian consulate in Geneva assassinated Dr. Kazem Rajavi, a distinguished Iranian opposition leader.
A Quick -- and Assisted -- Exit
Immediately after the assassination, Iran Air delayed the departure of its weekly direct flight from Geneva to Tehran for an hour and 18 minutes. Then, after some passengers arriving in a flurry of Iranian diplomatic vehicles were hustled through airport formalities and directly onto the aircraft, it took off for Tehran. With it, colleagues of the slain Iranian opposition leader said, went two officials sent to Switzerland to manage the assassination. They were Hadi Najafabadi, Iranian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and an Iranian named Akhoundzadeh, said to be the coordinator of his government's terrorism abroad.
Their actions and escape, members of the Iranian resistance charged, were carried out under the supervision of Mohamed-Hossein Mala'ek, Iran's ambassador to Switzerland. In 1979, Mala'ek was one of the "Students Following the Line of the Imam" who held...