Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- The rebel organization Jundallah, also known as the People’s Resistance Movement of Iran, threatened to publish details of confessions made by an Iranian nuclear official, unless the authorities release 200 detained members of the organization.

Abdel Raouf Rigi, spokesman for Jundallah, speaking via telephone from a location inside Balochistan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iranian nuclear official, who was recently kidnapped by members of the organization in the Iranian city of Isfahan, and is currently held under heavy guard somewhere in the mountains of Balochistan, had made serious confessions regarding details of Iran’s pursuit to obtain a nuclear bomb.

Rigi said that the kidnapped man was a senior official in the Iranian nuclear program, named Amir Hussein Sherani Bin Mohammad Sherani, born in 1971, carrying identity card number 2428.

For his part, Ali Abd al-Alahi, aide of the Iranian Internal Minister for Security Affairs, downplayed the significance of the kidnapped employee. He said that he used to work as a ‘construction welder’ at the Isfahan uranium enrichment facility.

The Iranian News Agency quoted Abd al-Alahi as saying: “This person used to work welding construction at the Isfahan uranium enrichment facility, until 2007, when he was dismissed from his position for incompetence. He (al-Alahi) pointed out that the same employee had been working on a truck, transporting goods between Chabahar and Zahedan, after being sacked from Isfahan facility”.

Abd al-Alahi, in his first comment to Iranian officials after the Jundallah statement, said “this is the person who was kidnapped two months ago”.

when asked if they intended on handing over Sherani to the US the spokesman for Jundallah told Asharq Al-Awsat, “we have not considered handing him over to any third party”.