The official news agency reported, Giles Whitaker was caught on camera taking earth samples in an off-limits region in Shahdad Desert in south-central Iran while Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was conducting military exercises in the area.
Whitaker was visiting the area with his family as tourists, but he was in fact carrying out acts of espionage, IRNA said, adding he will be expelled from the country later on after apologizing.
According to the report, a Polish university professor was also seen taking earth, water, rock and mud samples in the same desert.
“Another individual identified while conducting acts of espionage was the husband of Austria’s cultural attaché in Iran. He was caught on camera while taking photos and images in the city of Damghan.”
