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Ex-Air Force officer accused of spying slammed US for Islam ‘propaganda’

The former Air Force counterintelligence agent charged with spying for Iran once condemned the US for not tolerating her choice to convert to Islam.

Monica Witt spoke about her religious ideals and how her service overseas while in the US Army inspired her to make the switch in a February 2013 story in the International Quran News Agency.

“As someone who served in the US army for years, I expected that after embracing Islam, my right to choose a religion and my beliefs would be respected,” Witt, who was born in El Paso, Texas, said at the time. “However, a US army member becoming Muslim was not something they could stand. They are afraid of such individuals.”

Witt defected to Iran in August 2013. An alert put out by the FBI says she speaks Farsi and goes by the names Fatemah Zahra and Narges Witt.





The 39-year-old worked as a counterintelligence officer in the Air Force from 1997 until 2008.

She went on to explain to the news agency that she grew up Christian but wasn’t particularly observant.

“During my mission in Iraq, I decided to learn more about the people’s beliefs and religion. I believed it would help me to better confront the enemy. I got a copy of the Quran and started reading it,” she said.

After reading the religious text night after night, “I realized that despite what the US military had told us, Islam is not a violent and aggressive religion.”

The IQNA noted that Witt “referred to the extensive propaganda against Iran and Islam in the US, saying that the American people are under the influence of the propaganda.”





The interview came just after Witt attended New Horizon Organization’s “Hollywoodism” conference — an anti-American event in Tehran.

In another story by Press TV from 2012, Witt railed against the “boys’ club” environment within the armed forces.

“The majority of men simply do not take the idea of harassment seriously,” she said. “They make comments about a woman’s appearance, or make generalized sexual remarks openly at work. Often times, they do not view these comments as inappropriate.”

On Wednesday, an indictment was unsealed charging Witt with tipping off the Iranian government to the existence of a highly classified mission, as well as identifying the target of it and revealing the true identity of a former colleague, putting that person’s life at risk.





She also allegedly did research on her former fellow counterintelligence colleagues to help draft “target packages” against them.

Witt is charged with two counts of delivering military information to a foreign government and one count of conspiracy.

A warrant was issued for her arrest. Officials believe she still lives in Iran.

“She decided to turn against the United States and shift her loyalty to Iran,” said Jay Tabb, the FBI’s executive assistant director for national security. “Her primary motivation appears to be ideological.”

With Post wires





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