Iranian diplomat taken captive in Iraq

[DEMonstate]

An Iranian diplomat, accused of inciting sectarian strife in Iraq, has been taken captive, Iranian state television in Tehran has reported.



A video from a group calling itself The Islamic Army in Iraq - which was reported to have killed two Pakistani captives last month - showed a passport and business card which identified the seized envoy as Fereidoun Jahani, an Iranian embassy official in the Shia Muslim holy city of Kerbala.

Iranian state television said the confirmation had come from its embassy in Baghdad.

The group said in a statement it had "kidnapped the Iranian consul in Karbala because he had been involved in inciting sectarian strife and operating outside the sphere of diplomacy".

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/82DEC101-CDCA-4349-9196-7D1ADE2BEF11.htm