Iranian Diplomat Shot in Brasilia
| BRASILIA – An official of the Iranian Embassy in Brasilia was shot at around 10:45 pm last night in the capital. The Iranian, identified by police as a driver for the Iranian diplomatic mission, was approached by three assailants who tried to take the car he was driving. The driver didn't speak Portuguese, resisted and was shot.
According to police, the Iranian was admitted to hospital and is not at risk of dying. The embassy official was accosted by the robbers as he was leaving a supermarket in the Asa Sul neighborhood of the capital.
The crime occurred just three weeks after a high-ranking Iranian Embassy official was accused of molesting children in a country club swimming pool in Brasilia. That diplomat has been recalled to Tehran and is considered no longer welcome in Brazil.
The case became a diplomatic issue between Brazil and Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which maintained that the issue was a 'cultural misunderstanding' since, in Iran, males and females are not allowed to swim together. The Iranians also said that the Brazilian press was biased against Iran.
Four weeks ago, the Iranian Embassy announced that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Brazil during his upcoming tour of Latin America. While the former president, Lula da Silva, maintained warm relations with Tehran and Amadinejad, relations with the Rousseff government are said to be a bit less cordial.
During Ahmadinejad's last visit to Latin America, Brasilia was not on his itinerary, much to the delight of commentators and opposition politicians who would like to see Brazil distance itself from the autocratic regime.