User:Geo Swan/Nour Ahmad Nikbakht

Nour Ahmad Nikbakht is an Iranian diplomat, who was captured and held hostage by the radical jihadist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was captured in Sanaa in July 2013.

In January 2015 Iranian officials feared that Nikbahkt had been beheaded.

The BBC News reported that Nikbakht was freed to return to Iran in March 2015 by an Iranian "operation". They reported it was not clear whether this "operation" included violence. Al Jazeera, on the other hand, quoting Iranian officials report he was rescued during a paramilitary attack, "executed with the fewest possible casualties".

In September 2015 Iran and AQAP agreed to an exchange of prisoners, and Al Arabiya reported that Nikbakht was traded for Saif al-Adel and four other men.