World News
Defectors allege Iran's elite forces plot killings from secret Dakhme venue
Deutsche Welle reports that two former Iranian security officers allege cadet indoctrination and covert planning at a secret venue, which Iran's Berlin embassy rejects.
The short version
- Deutsche Welle reports that two former Iranian security officers say elite forces indoctrinate young cadets and control their daily lives.[Deutsche Welle]
- The defectors allege a secret venue called Dakhme is used to plan murders and abductions, but DW could not verify the specific cases.[Deutsche Welle]
- Iran's Berlin embassy rejected the allegations, while the Supreme Leader's Office did not respond to DW's request for comment.[Deutsche Welle]
- Unresolved: DW could not confirm that Dakhme is still operating, and no one it spoke with could confirm it.[Deutsche Welle]
Key facts
- Omid says cadets are kept under regime control day and night through military training, daily prayers and speeches.[Deutsche Welle]
- Omid shared training records and photos covering sniper practice, surveillance, street fighting, riot control and parachuting courses.[Deutsche Welle]
- Omid and Reza say high-ranking members of all units gather in monitoring rooms with real-time feeds from CCTV cameras in Tehran.[Deutsche Welle]
- Iran's Berlin embassy rejected the allegations, and the Supreme Leader's Office did not reply to DW's request for comment.[Deutsche Welle]
- DW could not verify the murder and abduction cases alleged at Dakhme, though some named individuals died under unresolved circumstances.[Deutsche Welle]
- Several experts DW contacted knew of Dakhme in connection with a murder attempt on an adviser to a reformist president over two decades ago.[Deutsche Welle]
What remains uncertain
- Omid says he never shot at protesters or ordered subordinates to do so, but DW could not corroborate this.[Deutsche Welle]
- DW could not verify the Dakhme killings, and no one it spoke with could confirm the venue's continued operation.[Deutsche Welle]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.