Iran: Doctor who tried to save Neda Soltan on the run - accused plotting against government

Iran’s police chief, Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam, called the death of Neda Agha-Soltan a “premeditated act of murder.”

It was the first statement on the case since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for an investigation into the death of Ms. Agha-Soltan, who became an icon of Iran’s opposition movement when a video of her shooting death on a Tehran street was circulated on the Web.

Iran's state controlled Press TV reports:

Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam, commander of the Iranian Police, said Wednesday that the unfortunate incident [Neda shooting] --which has been hyped and dramatized by Western media outlets--, was in fact a 'premeditated act of murder'.

The Iranian police chief said Arash Hejazi, a doctor who claims he tried to save Neda's life in her final moments, has fanned the flames of the western media hype.

Ahmadi-Moqadam said the Iranian Intelligence Ministry is making every effort to discover the whereabouts of Hejazi. "He has fled the country and is working against the Iranian government abroad."

Media outlets in the West have blamed Neda's death on Iranian security forces, but new revelations have found that she was murdered by a small caliber pistol--a weapon that is not used by Iranian security forces.

The man who drove Neda to hospital said in an interview that her death looked 'highly suspicious', as there were no security forces or Basij members nearby.

The Iranian government is making every effort to identify the culprit behind Neda's death with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanding a through investigation into the incident.

Mr. Ahmadi Moghadam also said that Iranian intelligence authorities are trying to find Arash Hejazi, a doctor who was shown on the videotape tending to Ms. Agha-Soltan as she bled to death. Dr. Hejazi had fled to London because of concerns for his safety following the crackdown. The police chief accused the doctor of “working against the Iranian government abroad.”

NY Times