Washington Confirms Teheran Has Arrested Iran-Born U.S. Citizen; Religion Said to Be an Issue

          
    
          WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (AP) — 01
          mote American has been arreated and
          being held in Iran In adAitIOr4 o 42 r '
          • lomatic hostages and a £re4anceWd
          the State Department sold today. .
          George Havens, a spoke unafl for
          Department 's Iran WoittiOg Group, a
          that the man Multi Soan , 44 years
          an Iranian by -
          UnIted States
          • Iran last moat)
          pecitie4 cluirges.. ::‘
          J'Ha 1 elng heId. ,LMr. Ravens
          “The Swiss have been trying to get e
          to him but so far have been unable to
          :so. We know pt no formal chaVge8. !
          Tinited States has bean
          the Swiss Embassy nfl
          Lage reiatedI 5suee .
          • Jack Anderson. the columnist. ti
          lag the rreat on ABC-TV'S “Good.
          tag, America ” program In4AY iaid that
          Mr 5obhani was so Wad on Se 4 . 6 a i he
          tried to leave Teheran s lth hla.wlfa and
          daughter. Mr. Anderson also said that the
          Ira n Ian, who ho said had been operating a
          comp ster company In :Iren, lia4 beep
          cltarge4 with being an A i r Cafl4Pg.:
          U UgIofl Said to %a fl asue
          However, Mr. Sobhanl's brother M r-
          na. a civil enflineer In santa BerbarU,
          Calif. said In a teleph000 Interview that
          hebe leVed that Muin w4a picitad up ha ..
          cause he Is an American nd btt e'ha
          a inemberof the Beitni faith.”:.
          “They are executing end persocUth
          the llahaL conthll4oUSlY,” ha said.
          - . “They have told his wliQ that sh ej
          . bould not have ,parried a- non-Moslem
          ‘and her marriage bould be annulled and
          that the child the?have Is iIiegItimatu.”
          said. Mr. SOh )!tPII 'S wile Is t Moslem.
          . Mr. Sobbaul has two sisters and twO
          -brothers living In SQuthern Catitornia ,
          Morris Sobhani aat4 he- learned of l i la
          btother '8 plight two weeks after his ar.
          7est nd that l e had sent telegrams to the
          State'DCPartm 1t and United Nations
          Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, ask-
          ing them to Intercede.
          Mr. Afldn f 0fl also said that an uniden-
          tt(k:l A çteriC&fl hu lne5srnCfl had been
          4rre lsd on charges of being an Amen-
          can jiQwever , Mr. Ravens said he
          could not cnnIin i that report.
          In addit Ion to the 52 hostages, the Ira-;
          elena are holding Cynthia Dwyer, 49, è
          freelanca writer I rma the UuhlelQ, ‘LY.,
          area. SIte was setsed on May 4 by revolu-
          tionary guards who wit her from her
          hQte lroorn. .. -.. . : •:
          /q,t,, ‘
          - / -i'i4 :
          a
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