Security alert over Saddam link

A security sweep after the September 11 attacks in America has uncovered an engineer working at Air New Zealand who authorities believe is the stepson of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The man has been subjected to an intense, multi-agency examination of his background and the vetting and checks made upon his appointment.

Mohammad Saffi has worked as an engineer in a secure area for Air NZ and lived in Auckland with his family for several years.

He would not discuss with the Weekend Herald his family background, and the airline late yesterday indicated that it was satisfied there was nothing further to investigate.

But the discovery that he was working for the national carrier triggered a high-level security alert within police and other Government agencies.

The case, which came to the attention of officials after the terrorist attacks on America three months ago, raised questions about vetting procedures at the airline and by agencies responsible for residency approvals.

A woman the police believe is Mr Saffi's mother, Samira Shahbandar, is reported to have been married to the Iraqi President after a relationship that began in the 1980s.

Approached at his North Shore home this week, Mr Saffi dismissed the reports as rumour.

He told the Weekend Herald he was considering going overseas but said this had nothing to do with the attention from the authorities.

"They have the right to ask any time they want," he said. "I don't have a problem at all. I do work in a secure area, I do fly with the aeroplanes as well. I don't think I have had a hard time compared to any other country."

Weekend Herald inquiries have established that Mr Saffi, aged 35, has been in the country since at least 1997. He has worked for Air New Zealand as an engineer in the aircraft maintenance area.

His family background became known to the security agencies during checks ordered after September 11, causing alarm about how a person with such an alleged background had settled in New Zealand without coming to anyone's attention.

A highly confidential investigation involving senior police unfolded over several weeks. Mr Saffi was quizzed repeatedly and the sensitivity of his case meant it was kept within a tight circle of officers.

The police national crime manager, Superintendent Bill Bishop, refused to comment on the specifics of the case but released a statement saying: "NZ Police have a responsibility for taking the lead on domestic security issues. Any inquiry by police is intended to ensure the safety and security of the community both here and overseas."

Air NZ's vice-president in charge of public affairs, David Beatson, said he was unable to comment on the specific case, to protect Mr Saffi's privacy. But the airline had systems to deal with potential threats to safety and security.

"There are processes by which we are advised of potential threats to the airline's security by both New Zealand and international authorities," he said.

"Were we to be advised, or to discover ourselves, that an employee presented a threat to the security of the airline, we would make an assessment of the threat and take appropriate action. No such action is in train."

His comment is understood to indicate that authorities and the airline no longer consider Mr Saffi's case to be of concern.

A spokesman for the Immigration Service, Ian Smith, said people making residency applications were required to declare "all parents, brothers, sisters, including full, step, half and adopted brothers and sisters".

He would not comment on whether Mr Saffi had declared any relationship with Saddam.

Mr Saffi's parents are believed to be Samira Shahbandar, a former flight attendant, and Nor Aldin Saffi, who was a high-ranking official within the Government-owned Iraqi Airways.

Various sources, including the Washington Post, say that Mrs Shahbandar became Saddam's mistress in the late 1980s. A biography of Saddam and other reports, including in London's Daily Telegraph, say the pair were married.

A judgment issued by the British Law Lords regarding a court case between the Iraqi and Kuwait airlines this year named Nor Aldin Saffi as a director-general of Iraqi Airways, though it is understood he no longer holds this position.

When the Weekend Herald put it to Mohammad Saffi that he had been questioned about his relationship with Saddam, he said: "In New Zealand it is quite far away from where we come from and any rumours just ... I don't think I have had a hard time compared to any other country."

Asked if his mother was Mrs Shahbandar, he said: "Actually, I don't have time to talk now."

He declined to be interviewed later, saying: "I think I gave you the picture. I think they went and asked all the people who work in aviation all over the world." He said he did not want publicity.

Mr Saffi said he was exploring work opportunities elsewhere.

"I'm always looking for other options," he said. "If I get a good offer, I will go away ... work tax-free for a couple of years, pay my mortgage and come back and relax."

A member of the Iraqi community in New Zealand said people knew about his background, though they were not clear about the exact details.

"I understand his mother was married for a couple of years and then separated," said the community member. "You can never find this as official news in Iraq."

The man said that while some people were wary of Mr Saffi, nobody considered him dangerous or a risk. "He is a very quiet man, a very nice man," he said.

An Air NZ source described him as friendly. "He seems like a nice guy," said the source.

"He worked for a while at terminal services in the international terminal, then he got a job down at the hangar as aircraft maintenance. He has flown overseas as a service engineer [for Air NZ aircraft]."

An official from Washington-based opposition group the Iraqi National Congress said Mrs Shahbandar was Saddam's mistress before they married in 1986.

He understood they were still married.

Her first husband, Nor Aldin Saffi, held a senior position within Iraqi Airways until the mid-1990s, said the INC official.

He was not sure how Mrs Shahbandar's family viewed Saddam.

"I'm sure they don't like what happened to their mother. Basically, Saddam made her divorce her husband and marry him, which is something I don't think any kid would appreciate," he said.

"[Nor Aldin Saffi] was rewarded by being given a post within the airways."

Reports from America said the relationship between Mrs Shahbandar and Saddam had caused problems with Saddam's extended family.

Uday Hussein, Saddam's eldest son to his first wife, was reportedly enraged when he found out about the affair.

The Middle East Review of International Affairs said Uday murdered a bodyguard of Saddam because he had acted as a messenger between the President and his mistress.

The Washington Post reported that when Saddam's father-in-law objected to the marriage with Mrs Shahbandar he was stripped of his property.

Other dissenting family and friends were wounded or died mysteriously.