Iran forces plane carrying soccer legend's family to land
To many Iranians, the move revealed the lengths authorities were willing to go to in their crackdown on critics.
Iran's most acclaimed soccer icon, Ali Daei, expressed shock and disbelief after the intelligence apparatus forced a civilian aircraft carrying his family to return halfway through its journey, blocking their departure from the country.
The Dubai-bound flight was ordered to land on the southern Iranian Kish Island on Monday. Authorities allowed the journey's resumption only after removing Daei's wife and daughter, according to multiple state-linked media outlets.
