Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (54)

Edited by Mohsen Kazemi

Ahmad Ahmad Memoirs (54)
Edited by Mohsen Kazemi
Soureh Mehr Publishing Company
(Original Text in Persian, 2000)
Translated by Mohammad Karimi

Assassinations and Changes

In late 1975 winter MKO via Iraj ordered us to afford a 7-meter black veil. We were surprised with this matter; “…7-meter black veil!? What for?” Black veils were usually 6 meters. Finally we could find it. Few days later they gave us an announcement to print and copy. In announcement No. 21 they had mentioned how they had assassinated Gen. Zandipour. The late Morteza Samadiyyeh Labbaf and few other members of MKO had done it. Samadiyyeh was a tall man and then we understood why they had asked for a 7-meter black veil. They wanted it to use at the time of assassination.
The point that I noticed in the announcement was the small size of the Koranic verse “… God has preferred those who fought over those who stayed behind with a great wage” [Chapter 4: AN-NISA (WOMEN) - Juz' 5, Verse 95] on top of MKO coat of arms. At first I was suspicious about it but later I satisfied myself by thinking that it was only because of technical graphic reasons for more beauty or effectiveness.
In the middle of May the next year (1975) we heard that Majid Sharif Vaqefi had been martyred. We knew him as a Muslim revolutionary leader and would respect and like him a lot. We got so sad of hearing about his death. His death and the news about were paradoxical and would make any listener suspicious. I felt some horrible events were happening. Death of Majid doubled this ambiguity and suspicion about the atmosphere around. (1)
About 21st of May 1975 two MKO members, Vahid Afrakhteh and Mohsen Khamoushi, assassinated two American advisers.(2) Iraj instantly brought us the 22nd martial announcement about this terroristic attempt. I was shocked when seeing that announcement; the Koranic verse on top of MKO coat of arms had been omitted. (Doc. No. 17)

I could not believe my eyes. I felt ice sweat on my forehead. I was confused and silent for some minutes. The other members were also surprised. After consulting each other we concluded that they have had forgotten to bring the verse in the arms and decided not to copy that announcement. The next day I went to the appointment. Iraj asked for the announcement copies. I told him that we had not copied them. He asked angrily: “Why?!” I said: “Because you had forgotten to bring the verse on top.” He changes his face and shouted: “It was none of your business; you had to obey the orders! You had no right to intervene…” I firmly said: “No! Without that verse, there would be no copy and neither any other activity; we are here in MKO because of that verse.” When seeing my firmness and insistence, he softened his position and said: “Shapour! You had to obey the orders; surely there had been a good reason for not bringing the verse!” I asked: “What reason?!” He cleverly deceived me by saying: “Shapour! This announcement is about the assassination of American advisers and since we want to throw them inside foreign embassies it was not right to put these papers under the feet of nonbelievers!”
His justification satisfied me but I was still suspicious in my heart. I came home and explained Iraj’s hoax for other team members. They also accepted and we began copying that announcement. During the next days the ambiguities were removed and everything became clear. It was approved what I was suspicious about in my heart was nothing except a sour reality.
All these changes and moves were the beginning steps of a devil plot and a great mislead…and atheism.

The Coup of Ideology Change

Before the assassination of Gen. Zandipour, MKO informed me via Iraj that I had to rent a shop for my job to make covering for my activities.
After a short search, I found a shop in the second floor of Kavir mall in Cheragh-Bargh Street and rented it for 200 Tomans a month. That shop was about 15 square meters. By Iraj’s advice I divided it in two parts. The front section was for my job and the back section for my personal and organizational affairs. Then I bought some secondhand chairs. I also gathered some iron tools and goods catalogues by the help of Haj Pour-Ostad to show that shop was for iron goods. However, the main usage of this shop was a cover for my organizational activities.
Kavir mall had two main gates; one in Sirous Street and the other in Chergh-Bargh Street. Beside my shop, there were some other shops including a tailor’s. I went there several times and some shopkeepers knew me including the tailor. However, they did not show that they knew me. They knew me as Ahmad Akbari there. Sometime after the assassination of Zandipour and before the killing of American advisers, Iraj came to me and took the keys of that shop and told me there was no need for me to go there anymore.

1- After the arrest of some members of central cadre of MKO like Kazem Zulanvar & Reza Rezai in 1973, people like Mohammad Taqi Shahram, Bahram Aram and Majid Sharif Vaghefi took the control of central cadre. In early 1975 misleading ideas of Taqi Shahram and Aram led to conflicts between them. Sharif Vaghefi who was seriously opposing to their Marxist ideas was sent out of the central cadre.
It was hard for them to tolerate Majid Sharif Vaghefi and Morteza Samadiyeh Labbaf insistence on their Islamic believes. So they warned them. Majid began gathering supporters and arms. Leyla Zomorodiyan (his wife) reported his activities to MKO majority leadership. They make an appointment with him. Bahram Aram, Vahid Afrakhteh, Mohsen Khamoushi and Hussein Siyah Kolah entrap him on 5th of May in Ab Mangol Street. Majid Sharif Vaghefi got killed right there. Group of betrayers take his body to 18 kilometers far in Mesgar Abad Road. Then they explode it and burn in order not to be identified. Morteza Samadiyyeh Labbaf also would make conflict with them on the same day. He got injured but could run away. His brother would take him to Sina Hospital to be treated. SAVAK would find and arrest him there. Finally this revolutionary Muslim was executed by fire squad on January 24th 1976 in Chitgar firing square.
2- U.S. Air Force officers Col. Paul Shaffer and Lt. Col. Jack Turner were assassinated at 6:40 on May 21st 1975.