Iranian intelligence frees three Iraqis abducted in Mashhad for ransom

Shafaq News/ Iranian security forces have freed three Iraqi nationals abducted in Mashhad for ransom, a source revealed on Friday.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that Hamed al-Maamouri, Hussein al-Annazi, and Balsam al-Halawi, who arrived in the northeastern city of Mashhad for medical treatment, were captured by an unknown group asking for $7000 per capita in ransom.

The Iranian intelligence body, according to the source, managed to free them in a security operation at dawn today.

The released abductees were transferred to the Iraqi embassy to complete the return paperwork. They are expected to be back in Iraq by tomorrow, the source said.

According to the source, a cab driver who picked up the Iraqi trio is potentially involved in the abduction.