[caption id="attachment_74769" align="alignleft" width="244"] In this July 15, 2010 file photo, Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist, greets his son Amir Hossein as he arrives at an airport in Tehran from the United States. — AP[/caption]TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian nuclear scientist caught up in a real-life US spy mystery who later returned to his homeland and disappeared has reportedly been executed under similarly mysterious circumstances. Foreign media reports say Shahram Amiri was hanged this week and a memorial service for him was held in Kermanshah, 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of Tehran. State media in Iran, which has been silent about Amiri's case for years, has not reported his death. Officials in Iran's judiciary could not be reached for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. Amiri's mother said the body of her son had been returned to their hometown with rope marks around his neck, showing that he had been hanged. He was later buried. Amiri had been held at a secret location after returning from the US, where he said he had been forcibly taken by the CIA. Some reports say he had in-depth knowledge of Iran's nuclear program. Amiri, who was born in 1977, went missing in 2009. He surfaced in the US a year later saying he had been kidnapped and put under "intense psychological pressure to reveal sensitive information" by the CIA. In a video recording — apparently made in the US — he said: "They took me to a house located somewhere that I didn't know. They gave me an anaesthetic injection." In another video he claimed he had escaped from US custody. But US officials said Amiri had defected and had willingly provided information to security forces. A source reportedly said of Amiri's return to Iran, "He provided useful information to the United States. The Iranians now have him. In terms of win-loss, it's not even a close call." His family reportedly said they were allowed to see Amiri on Tuesday, the day before his execution.
