One of Tehran's Senior Municipal Managers Arrested

Mahmoud Salahi, the Deputy for Planning of Tehran Municipality, confirmed on Tuesday, November 27, the arrest of a senior manager of this organization, stating that the accusations against him are 'personal' and 'unrelated' to his responsibilities in Tehran Municipality. This statement comes amid reports circulating on social media about the 'arrest of Hojjatollah Behrouz, Deputy of the Transportation and Traffic Department of Tehran Municipality.' While Mr. Behrouz's family has not yet reacted to these reports, some news outlets have attributed accusations such as 'espionage' to this senior municipal manager. In this context, Ahmad Hakimipour, a member of the Tehran City Council, on Tuesday called for an explanation from Tehran Municipality regarding the 'arrest of one of the senior managers of this organization' during a public session of the council. Following Mr. Hakimipour's inquiry, Mahmoud Salahi confirmed the arrest of a municipal manager, stating that the 'problem' of this manager was 'personal' and had 'no connection' to his responsibilities in Tehran Municipality. According to Fars News Agency, he added: 'The summons of one of the municipal managers to the judicial authorities has no relation to his work issues in the municipality and is entirely personal, and since this individual's case is still in the questioning stage, we prefer not to say anything in this regard and wait for the judicial authority's decision about him.' Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) also reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed city council member, about the arrest of one of the senior managers of the Transportation and Traffic Department of Tehran Municipality. Recent reports on social media indicate that 'Hojjatollah Behrouz, Deputy of the Transportation and Traffic Department of Tehran Municipality,' was arrested 'at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran while departing for an international trip.' In 2009, news about a 'confrontation' between Hojjatollah Behrouz and Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the head of the Basij Organization, during a board meeting of Tehran Traffic Control Company also caused controversy. That year, some news websites reported that during this meeting, 'Mohammad Reza Naqdi shot at Mr. Behrouz with his handgun, injuring him in the leg.' However, Mr. Behrouz denied these reports, stating that he had no meeting with Mr. Naqdi. According to news websites, this confrontation occurred 'after Mr. Behrouz's remarks about the inability of the Traffic Control Company to cope with traffic congestion caused by protests in 2009.'