Media: Ex-Iranian President survives alleged assassination attempt

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly narrowly escaped an assassination attempt last week.

Sources familiar with the incident revealed that Ahmadinejad's car had its brakes and steering system sabotaged, Caliber.Az reports citing an opposition-affiliated Iranian media outlet.

The incident occurred last Monday as Ahmadinejad and his entourage were preparing to travel to a religious ceremony in the city of Zenjan, located in central Iran.

Before the trip, Ahmadinejad's security chief had inspected the main vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, and found that the air conditioning, which had been previously repaired, was still malfunctioning. As a result, Ahmadinejad was advised to use a different car, while his security team and associates continued in the Land Cruiser.

While en route, the driver of the Land Cruiser suddenly lost control of the vehicle’s steering and brakes. The jeep crashed into a fence, collided with another car in Ahmadinejad’s convoy, and spun back into the fence before coming to a stop after hitting yet another vehicle.

Two days prior to the trip, Ahmadinejad's security service had taken the Land Cruiser to the presidential residence's designated repair unit for air conditioner repairs. However, sources said that the vehicle was instead seized by "special security agents" and taken to an undisclosed location, where it was allegedly tampered with before being returned to the security team under the pretence of being repaired.