How Did US Ex-Air Force Officer Monica Witt Come Close To Iran And Where Is She Allegedly Now?

Former US Air Force intelligence officer and defence contractor, Monica Witt, has been hitting the headlines yet again, after more than a decade, she defected to Iran. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently announced a reward of USD 20K for information. Monica Witt is a high-profile fugitive and is on FBI's most wanted list, and currently, the US authorities have renewed their hunt for her.

For those who don't know, Monica Witt was accused of spying for Iran, and she is facing eight federal counts related to espionage and conspiracy. With the current tension between the US and Iran, it seems that the FBI is renewing the hunt for her using its global effort, which pretty much makes it clear that she is still considered a national threat. Amid Monica Witt hitting the headlines again, let's have a look at how she actually came close to Iran.

Where is Monica Witt right now?

With renewing their hunt for Monica Witt, it was revealed that more than a decade ago, she allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime with National Defence Information. While the hunt is going on, it's reportedly believed that she's still residing in Iran. It's believed that she continues to support Tehran's activities and resides there with the aliases 'Fatemah Zahra' and 'Narges Witt.' There's no update about Monica Witt's current whereabouts, and a special officer recently shared in a statement:

"The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts."

How did Monica Witt come close to Iran?

It was in 1997 that Monica Witt entered the US Air Force and served as a Persian-Farsi language specialist at the Offutt Air Force Base. She was then based at Andrews Air Force Base in 2003, and allegedly joined the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as a Special Agent. As she was working with intelligence roles, she accessed highly classified information about the US's internal affairs, including secrets and top secrets about the identities of undercover individuals and their families. She left the military in 2008 with the rank of Technical Sergeant.

Even after military service ended, she had jobs that dealt with intelligence, security, and West Asian affairs. Throughout her career, she reportedly had been to several countries, including Iran. Prosecutors believed that Witt's closeness to Iran started being visible back in 2012, when she converted during a ceremony broadcast on Iranian television. Reportedly, following this, Monica Witt was seen on multiple Iranian outlets and was even seen criticising American politics. It was in 2012, when Monica Witt reportedly travelled to Iran to attend a 'Hollywoodism' conference, which was organised by New Horizon Organisation.

According to the American officials, this was an Anti-US propaganda and was hosted with the intention to connect foreign participants to an Iranian intelligence-based network. After this, the FBI even reportedly warned Witt that there would be some attempts by the Iranian intelligence personnel, who would want to hire her. However, she back then criticised all of it and mentioned that her conversion was something that was unacceptable to others. She reportedly said:

"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. However, a US army member becoming Muslim was not something they could stand. They are afraid of such individuals."

It was in 2013 that Monica Witt's ideology reportedly changed rapidly. She reportedly first reached out to the Iranian Embassy in Kabul and eventually relocated to Iran permanently. It's also reported that she worked as an English teacher either in Afghanistan or in Tajikistan, before going missing in 2013, when she stopped answering calls or emails from her family members, which is believed to be the period when she reportedly went underground.

Pic credits: KHQ, spycraft / Instagram, FBI

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