Iran to try 18 for nuclear scientist deaths

Tehran has accused Israel, US and Britain of being behind the alleged assassinations of at least five nuclear scientists since 2010

Heavy water reactor facility near Arak, Iran (photo credit: CC-BY nanking2010/Wikipedia/File)
Heavy water reactor facility near Arak, Iran (photo credit: CC-BY nanking2010/Wikipedia/File)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s judiciary indicted 18 suspects on charges of  killing nuclear scientists, the country’s Mehr News agency reported Sunday.

Since 2010, at least five Iranian nuclear scientists, including a manager at the Natanz enrichment facility, have been killed. Tehran has accused Israel’s Mossad, the CIA and Britain’s MI6 of being behind the assassinations. The US and Britain have denied the allegations, but Israel has not commented.

The Sunday report by the semiofficial Mehr agency quotes Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari as saying authorities have issued indictments against the 18 suspects, and they will go trial in coming months. He gave no other details.

In 2012, Iran hanged a man who was sentenced to death for the 2010 killing of a nuclear physicist.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

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