I have not found this on any US news source. It said that '5' senior military members were interviews in Iran and were released. ??????? A falcon is not manned by 5. Interesting. I would think that Iran would use this as a photo op, so where are the photos? The story located at the link Richard provided makes more sense. There, it mentions the plane being a transport.
I wonder if it was searching for our lost "spys" GPS-equipped spy squirrels 'arrested' by Iranians by Darren Murph, Jul 21st 2007 Talk about getting into some hot water. Reportedly, some 14 implike squirrels were recently "arrested by Iranian authorities for espionage," as the critters were apparently found to have various amounts of "spy gear from foreign agencies" on (er, in) their bodies. Some reports even mention that the animals were sporting embedded GPS sensors, but due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the capture, things are still a bit foggy. Nevertheless, Iran has apparently claimed that the "rodents were being used by Western powers in an attempt to undermine the Islamic Republic," and while it doesn't seem that anyone is really aware of the squirrels' fates, it looks like sending in the animals to do a human's dirty work isn't as effective as it once was. I wonder where they found acorns in the desert?
This story is being to sound like a........ .......As the hours tick by. http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE4966CP20081007
A plane forced to land in Iran after it accidentally entered Iranian airspace was a Hungarian aid plane, and not a U.S. aircraft as originally reported Tuesday by a state news agency, FOX News confirmed. The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran reported Tuesday that a U.S. Military plane with American personnel on board was forced to land there. But the U.S. Defense Department told FOX News that there was no evidence that the Iranian reports were true and was looking into the incident. "We're looking into the various and conflicting reports coming from the Iranian "news" agencies, but do not have any information at this time that would lead us to believe they are correct," National Security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. Iran also denied the reports. The aircraft was a Hungarian aid plane with no Americans on board, a senior Iranian official told FOX News' Amy Kellogg in Tehran, adding that the incident took place on Sept. 30. Fars reported that Iranian fighters guided the plane to an Iranian airport, where the passengers were questioned and released a day later. FOXNews' Jennifer Griffin, Amy Kellogg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran says it forced down Western plane 17 minutes ago TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian news reports claimed Tuesday that Iran forced down a Western aircraft that accidentally entered its airspace, then allowed the plane to continue to Afghanistan after questioning its passengers. The state-owned Al-Alam, Iran's official Arabic-language television station, quoted an unidentified senior Iranian military official as saying the plane belonged either to a British or Hungarian relief agency and had been traveling from Turkey to Afghanistan. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, "We're looking into the various and conflicting reports coming from the Iranian `news' agencies, but do not have any information at this time that would lead us to believe they are correct." The U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement from its headquarters in Doha, Qatar that no American plane was involved in the incident, as some Iranian media initially reported. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi said he had no information about the case. Other Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The official quoted by Al-Alam said the plane "lost its way" and violated Iranian air space. He said the passengers — who he said included American military personnel — were questioned and that the plane was allowed to continue to Afghanistan. It was not clear when the incident took place. Al-Alam reported the plane was forced to land on Sunday and left the next day. The semi-official news agency ISNA said the forced landing was on Sept. 30 and the departure the following day. In Afghanistan, officials with the U.S. military, the American Embassy and the British Embassy said they had no information about a plane being forced down in Iran. Initially, the semiofficial Fars news agency said the plane was American. Fars reported that the plane was carrying five military officials and three civilians from Turkey to Afghanistan when it "unintentionally" entered Iranian airspace. According to the Fars report, Iranian fighters guided the plane to an Iranian airport, the passengers were questioned and a day later were released and allowed to continue to their destination. ISNA said the aircraft was carrying "military personnel" but cited an unidentified official saying the plane was not American. Fars said the plane was a Falcon, apparently referring to a passenger aircraft manufactured by the French firm Dassault and primarily used by business executives. Dassault Falcon produces five jets with ranges from about 3,250 nautical to more than 4,000 nautical miles, with cabins that typically carry about six passengers and two crew members. Iran says it forced down Western plane - Yahoo! News
Wow! "...State Al-Alam TV said the aircraft was Hungarian and not American...The aircraft and those on board were allowed to continue their journey after being questioned, the reports said." BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran 'forces down foreign plane'
