Iranian Arrested at Miami Airport

The FBI has reported the arrest of an Iranian individual before his flight to Washington yesterday at Miami Airport on charges of possessing a firearm, but stated that there is currently no evidence linking him to terrorist activities. More details come from a report prepared by Mahtab Farid, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America. The FBI identified the arrested Iranian as 'Iraj Eftekhari Pour', stating that he was arrested while entering Miami International Airport from St. Maarten in the Caribbean with a loaded handgun, intending to take a connecting flight to Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. An FBI spokesperson in Miami said in a phone call last night that the investigation of the 37-year-old Iranian, which initially began with local police, is now being pursued by federal agents. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Eftekhari Pour initially told local police during preliminary investigations that the firearm was plastic, but after it was revealed that the weapon had six bullets, he claimed he was carrying it for self-defense. Mr. Eftekhari Pour is currently in Dade County Jail and will soon be handed over to federal authorities, after which his charges will be addressed in federal court.