The strange tale of the Iranian "spy" and defector...

On Monday an Iranian nuclear scientist arrived by taxi at a Washington embassy, demanding to be returned to Iran. His tale is just the latest in a recent spate of fascinating spy stories.

In a case shrouded in mystery and contradictions, Shahram Amiri, 32, had disappeared while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last year. When he turned up in America, Amiri initially claimed in a video that he had chosen to come to study for a Ph.D. He then released another video rescinding that claim, and telling the world he had been abducted by the CIA and questioned about Tehran's nuclear aims. In a third video, he claimed again he was happily in America. More...

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