international relations

Photos of Kidnapped Former FBI Agent Were Probably Sent by Iran

Robert Levinson. Photo: Levinson Family

Today the family of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared during a 2007 trip to Iran, released photos from Levinson’s captors that show him dressed like a Guantanamo Bay prisoner. While the pictures aren’t new — the family received them via e-mail in April 2011 — for the first time some U.S. intelligence officials have admitted that he’s probably being held by the government of Iran, not a terrorist organization. The Iranian government has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Levinson’s whereabouts, but officials say the photos and a previously released hostage video seem to be the work of professional spies. The taunting messages in signs held by Levinson in the photos, such as “I am here in Guantanamo. Do you know where it is?,” are written in broken English, but U.S. authorities haven’t been able to determine who sent the images. The U.S. tried to secure Levinson’s release using diplomatic means, but his wife, Christine, gave the photos to the Associated Press because she feels officials aren’t doing enough to bring him home. “There isn’t any pressure on Iran to resolve this,” she said. “It’s been much too long.”

Missing FBI Agent Pics Probably Sent by Iran