DETROIT - The father of a man who appeared on Iranian state TV has denied allegations that his son is a CIA spy.
Ali Hekmati said Monday 28-year-old Amir Mirzaei Hekmati is an Iranian-American who was visiting his grandmothers in Iran and never worked for the CIA.
On Sunday, Iran's state TV broadcast video of the younger Hekmati and claimed he was a CIA spy who sought to infiltrate Iran's secret services. The TV said he had received special training and served at U.S. military bases before heading to Iran.
His father, who teaches microbiology at a community college in Michigan told The Associated Press on Monday his son is a former Arabic translator in the U.S. Marines. He says he's working with attorneys to gain his son's release.
