DATE=3/26/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=IRAN/SHOOTING (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260623
BYLINE=LISA BRYANT
DATELINE=CAIRO
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Iran has arrested more than 10-people in
connection with the March 12th assassination attempt on
a reformist leader allied to President Mohammed
Khatami. Lisa Bryant reports from Cairo that Iranian
government officials say unspecified Islamic
extremists, not political hardliners, are behind the
shooting.
TEXT: Iran's information minister, Ali Yunesi, says
those behind the shooting of Saeed Hajjarian are not
affiliated with any political group or guild. Mr.
Yunesi said although one of those arrested was a part-
time member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the
suspect had been - deceived into joining the would-be
assassins.
Mr. Hajjarian, the publisher of a leading reformist
daily, was seriously wounded in the shooting, and
doctors feared he would die. But he survived, and
Iran's official news agency reports physicians say his
mental and physical condition has improved in recent
days.
The assault has drawn widespread condemnation in Iran,
not just from moderates, but also from political
conservatives. Last week, Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for a speedy
investigation into the shooting.
Nonetheless, reformists say they believe members of
the country's hard-line security services - including
the Revolutionary Guards -- may have been behind the
attack and are trying to cover up the evidence.
But Information Minister Yunesi told reporters there
were no obstacles hampering the government's
investigation. He said the Intelligence Ministry
would - discover the roots of the plot. He said five
people, including the main suspect in the drive-by
shooting, have been arrested.
Mr. Yunesi also said the suspects appeared to have
acted for personal rather than political reasons, and
did not seem to be linked to a foreign plot. Earlier,
the minister said Iranian officials were investigating
possible links to foreign agents or to the opposition
Mujahedeen Khalq group. The insurgency group, which
has bases in Iraq, has been accused of recent attacks
on Iran.
Mr. Hajjarian is considered one of the key architects
behind the reformist sweep of February's parliamentary
elections. Following the shooting two-weeks ago,
reformist leaders called for the government to swiftly
track down the assailants, but said the attack would
only strengthen the reform movement. (SIGNED)
NEB/LB/ALW/RAE
26-Mar-2000 10:59 AM EDT (26-Mar-2000 1559 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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