Homeland Security agents have arrested an Iranian man in Florida on charges that he attempted to smuggle $750,000 worth of restricted F-14 fighter aircraft parts out of the United States for use by the Iranian military, according to officials and court documents. Serzhik Avasappian, 40, was arrested as part of a sting operation Sept. 19 at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, where he allegedly met with an undercover agent from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an informant, who were posing as weapons brokers, according to court documents. Avasappian “held himself out to be a broker of aircraft parts, living in Tehran, who was trying to acquire parts on behalf of the Iranian government,” according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale. He flew into the Miami area to arrange a test shipment in preparation for a larger purchase of F-14 fighter parts in the future, the documents allege. Full Story
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