Islam Times - Mansour Arbabsiar in solitary confinement despite poor health

Islam Times - The family of the Iranian-American Mansour Arbabsiar who was arrested last September on assassination charges say despite pleading not guilty in two court sessions, he is still kept in solitary confinement in poor health conditions.

On October 11, US Attorney General Eric Holder spoke of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir, with help from a suspected member of a Mexican drug cartel.

The scenario involved two men, Mansour Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri. The second man was alleged to be a member of the IRGC's elite Quds Force.

Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on September 29, was arraigned and appeared before New York Federal Court on October 24, entering a not guilty plea.

In a letter to the English-speaking news channel, Arbabsiar’s family noted that during the past eight months since he has been arrested, US authorities have not allowed his family to meet with him.

They noted that despite pleading not guilty in two court sessions, the Iranian-American has been held incommunicado and is reportedly in poor health conditions.

The US claims that Arbabsiar has links with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. But Iranian authorities have strongly rejected the allegation, saying Washington has failed to substantiate its claims with any proof.

Tehran has also rejected the US allegations in this case as ridiculous and a pre-planned scenario to distract America’s public opinion from the ongoing protests across the country.