Iran Aids U.S. in Search for Missing Man

[Scurrilous]

Source: Examiner

<snip>

"Iran said Wednesday it will look into the disappearance of an American man in Iran, a State Department spokesman said. The missing man has been identified as a former FBI agent.

Iran replied to a U.S. request for information or help, and asked for additional details about the missing man's travel itinerary, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. The response came through Swiss intermediaries in Iran.

"We'll see if they come up with anything, but they certainly didn't have any specific information," about the man, Casey said.

The United States and Iran have no diplomatic relations, but do exchange information through neutral Swiss diplomats.

The retired agent was identified as Robert Levinson, 59, of Coral Springs, Fla., a U.S. official familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Tuesday."



Read more: http://www.examiner.com/a-656369~Iran_Aids_U_S__in_Search_for_Missing_Man.html

[wakeme2008]

1. a 59 yo BUSINESS man goes "lost" right probably with the 20 something

girlfriend. :grr:

[Blue Meany]

2. This guy was supposed to be a specialist in

internatonal organized crime, particularly drug smuggling, and he apparently did a lot of freelance/consulting work through is company on the Russian mafia. He was meeting a contact on an island known for not have entry visa requirements, so there are a number of factors that suggest he was involved in or investigating something that might have brought him in danger.

[tech3149]

3. That might be possible but what does a 59y/o have to offer a 20 sumpin

gf. I think it's more likely he was recruited to do human intelligence work with the film project as a cover.

[Megahurtz]

4. "Iran Aids U.S."

:spray:

Now what's Jr. gonna do?

[maddezmom]

5. U.S. officials, meanwhile, downplayed the disappearance as routine(helped bust Noriega, etc)

Missing ex-FBI agent's family worried
By BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press Writer

Alan Diaz
The entrance of the Isles East, a gated community, where Robert A. Levinson lives, is shown in Coral Springs, Fla., Tuesday, April 3, 2007. Levinson, a former FBI agent was reported missing while on a business trip to Iran several weeks ago.
Iran to look for missing U.S. man

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --Relatives of a former FBI agent who has been missing in Iran for three weeks said Wednesday they are worried and doing everything possible to find him. U.S. officials, meanwhile, downplayed the disappearance as routine.

Robert Levinson, 59, of Coral Springs, was last seen March 11 on the Iranian resort island of Kish. He was said to be working on a film on the island, known for its beaches, sea turtles and relatively liberal atmosphere.

~snip~

Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted Kish officials Tuesday as saying there was no evidence that Levinson had disappeared, but it gave no details on his whereabouts.

Levinson was an FBI agent in New York and Florida known for busting Italian and Russian mobsters. His work also helped bring down Colombia's Medellin drug cartel and Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, said Guy Lewis, the former U.S. attorney in Miami.

"Part of his work was developing information on the Medellin drug cartel which, of course, walked us straight into the Noriega case," Lewis said.

more;http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/34085.html