Iranian Protesters Occupy Plane at Brussels Airport

BRUSSELS, Belgium – A group of 59 unarmed passengers of Iranian origin settled in on a Lufthansa jetliner in a Belgian airport yesterday and refused to leave until America and other nations signed a pledge not to help Iran’s “Islamic regime of mullahs.”A spokesman for the protesters said they were on a hunger strike and were prepared to die for their cause of overthrowing the Islamic government in Tehran, but police said the Iranians were not on a fast and had eaten on board the plane.“We want the European countries, also the United States and Russia to stop helping the Iranian regime,” the group’s spokesman, who identified himself only as Ira, said in a call from the aircraft.Police vehicles took up position around the airliner and several people were seen entering the plane early Friday as Iranian pro-monarchists continued the 13-hour protest.The standoff began after the Lufthansa jetliner arrived from Frankfurt, Germany, at 3 p.m. (9 a.m. EST). Police said 59 of the 103 passengers refused to leave the plane, declaring they were on a protest against “this Islamic regime of mullahs.”“We want these leaders to stop supporting terrorist regimes any longer … to get rid of this Islamic regime or any kind of radical brutal religious movement from Iran,” said Ira, who said he was an American national and a psychiatrist from New York.He said the protesters wanted America, the European Union, and Russia to sign a pledge to stop cooperating with the Iranian government.“We are just sitting here. We are not going to move out unless embassy officials from the United States, English, and others come to sign our statement and guarantee us that if we go out of here they don’t arrest us,” he said.Police spokeswoman Els Cleemput said authorities were in contact with the protesters and trying to resolve the standoff. E.U. and NATO officials said their organizations were not involved in the negotiations.As night fell, the airport shut down as no other incoming flights were scheduled. Belgian Iranians came to the terminal, holding banners and flags.Ira said those on board included eight American nationals, three Swedes and “many” English nationals, as well as children, women, and men, “some of them sick, hungry because we reject to eat or drink.”But Ms. Cleemput said several passengers took food at 9:30 p.m.“To me that doesn’t sound like a serious hunger strike,” she said.Ira, who said he was originally from Iran and was 60 years old, said the protesters were trying to highlight their support for the late shah of Iran and wanted to draw attention to Iran’s problems.

Iranian Protesters Occupy Plane at Brussels Airport

Iranian Protesters Occupy Plane at Brussels Airport

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