Thursday, March 17, 2005

(03-17) 00:02 PST Los Angeles (AP) --

Four Iranian brothers detained for more than three years after their arrest in an FBI terrorism probe were freed after U.S. immigration authorities eased certain travel restrictions.

The Mirmehdi brothers — Mohammed, Mostafa, Mohsen and Mojtaba — had rejected a release offer last month, claiming proposed travel limits and other restrictions were unjust. The brothers were released Wednesday night after the government revised its offer and reduced the restrictions, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The brothers declined to sign documents outlining the conditions of their release, but they nevertheless will be bound by the modified terms, Kice said.

The brothers returned home to the San Fernando Valley and told The Associated Press that they would try to resume their careers as real estate agents.

"It was a great victory for us," Mohsen Mirmehdi said by telephone. "After 3 1/2 years of going to this court and that court and proving to them that we are innocent."

The brothers can remain in the United States although two have been ordered deported and the other pair are appealing such orders.

The brothers have been held since October 2001. Federal authorities alleged they supported a Los Angeles-based cell of the Moujahedeen Khalk, or MEK, which opposes Iran's regime and is classified by the State Department as a terrorist organization.

The brothers acknowledged attending protest events against Iran's current regime, but denied belonging to the MEK.

They never faced criminal charges. They were sent into detention to await deportation for allegedly lying in the 1990s on their applications seeking political asylum, and for their suspected ties to the MEK.

Last August, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled evidence tying the brothers to terrorism was inconclusive. The board also upheld the decision of two immigration judges who said the Mirmehdis would be tortured or persecuted if returned to Iran. The board also agreed with the government that the brothers did not qualify for political asylum.

"One thing is not in dispute. All four men are in this country illegally," Kice said.

Final deportation orders have been issued for Mostafa Mirmehdi, 45, and Mojtaba Mirmehdi, 41, and they will be deported if a third country can be found that will accept them, Kice said.

The brothers' attorney, Marc Van Der Hout, said he doubts they will be deported.

"I don't think any other country will accept them," he said. "Another country won't welcome someone into their country that the United States has accused of being part of a terrorist organization, even though those charges are baseless."

The brothers will be allowed to travel freely within Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, but will need permission in advance to travel outside that area, Kice said.

They also must report to immigration officials weekly by telephone and every other week in person, Kice said.

The brothers' release occurred less than two weeks after an altercation in which the Mirmehdis allege that a guard beat Mohammed Mirmehdi after he intervened in an argument between the guard and one of his brothers.

The allegation is under investigation, Kice said.