Aadel Collection
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 BP000598 I