The restless nature of Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has long been a headache for the bodyguards charged with preserving his safety.
Not content with plunging into crowds during his frequent public appearances, Ahmadinejad has been known to drive alone and unprotected at night to deprived neighbourhoods to meet families who lost relatives during Iran’s 1980-88 war with Iraq. He has dismissed advice that his habits could make him a sitting duck for potential assassins.
Now his worried security team has identified a new threat to his person — the many letters he receives from voters during his trips across Iran.
Ahmadinejad has actively encouraged the public to write to him in a drive to boost his populist image. But advisers have warned that the letters could contain poisonous substances intended to kill him.
”To prevent him getting poisoned, the security team have warned him in several cases to be careful about the letters which are given to him on his provincial trips,” reported Jahan News, a website close to the security services. ”But Dr Ahmadinejad in response has declared he is going to behave as before.”
Since being elected in 2005, Ahmadinejad has received millions of letters, many pleading for money or help with personal problems. He has pledged to read as many as possible and instructed his aides to respond to every message sent to him.
The president’s insistence on meeting the public has forced his guards into extraordinary measures — including deploying a team of sniffer dogs to detect explosives, despite Islam’s customary disdain for dogs. — guardian.co.uk