Iranian TV anchor detained by FBI to appear in court

U.S.-born journalist working for Iran's Press TV was held at St. Louis Airport on unknown charges

By Ahmet Dursun

NEW YORK (AA) - A journalist at Iran's state-run television detained by the FBI on "unspecified charges" is to appear in a Washington court on Friday, according to the news outlet.

Marzieh Hashemi's son said that she was detained as a “material witness” to a criminal case and no formal charges had been made against her, Press TV reported.

A material witness in American law is a witness who has significant information about the subject matter of a lawsuit or criminal prosecution.

The news report said the news anchor, who was born in the U.S. and later converted to Islam, had traveled to visit her family in St. Louis, Missouri where she was detained and sent to an FBI station that treated her "humiliatingly."

The Foreign Ministry of Iran condemned the arrest and demanded her immediate release.

New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) asked the U.S. Justice Department to disclose the reason for Hashemi’s arrest.

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