Air NZ trying to confirm facts of Saffi arrest

11.45am

Air New Zealand is talking to United States law enforcement agencies about the arrest of an Auckland aircraft engineer believed to be a stepson of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Mohammad Saffi, who has been living with his family in suburban Glenfield, was picked up by United States authorities yesterday in Miami when he arrived for a refresher course at a flight school.

He remains in detention in the United States.

Air New Zealand spokesman Mark Champion confirmed today Mr Saffi had worked for the airline.

"That's not to suggest he's not working for us presently," he said.

But the airline did not believe it should be talking publicly about an employee on a matter such as this.

He said the airline had not spoken to Mr Saffi since his arrest.

The arrest came as the US was on high alert for its Fourth of July celebrations, following the September 11 plane hijackings and attacks on New York and Washington.

One of the September 11 terrorists studied at the same school Mr Saffi, 36, was to attend.

The US Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) said Mr Saffi was travelling as a tourist and had not applied for a student visa that would have allowed him to take courses.

Investigators had been suspicious about the timing of the visit, when few people were working, and wondered why Mr Saffi had gone to Miami when he could have chosen somewhere closer to New Zealand.

Asked if New Zealanders could be confident about security at Auckland Airport, Mr Champion said: "I don't want to be drawn into that.

"We're not going to get drawn into a public discussion until we're absolutely sure of all the facts. We're trying to confirm with the American authorities those facts."

He understood the matter was now in the hands of the INS, which the airline was still trying to contact, Mr Champion said.

In December the Herald reported Mr Saffi worked in a secure area at Auckland Airport and flew on aircraft.

At Mr Saffi's home today a woman said the family would not be making any statement on the case.

A woman understood to be Mohammad Saffi's mother, Samira Shahbandar, is reported to have been married to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after a relationship that began in the 1980s.

Mr Saffi's parents are believed to be Mrs 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 Mrs Shahbandar became Saddam's mistress in the late 1980s. A biography of Saddam and other sources, including 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 Kuwaiti airlines last year named Nor Aldin Saffi as a director-general of Iraqi Airways, though it is understood he no longer holds this position.

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

Reports from the United States said the relationship had caused problems with Saddam's extended family.

Uday Hussein, Saddam's eldest son by his first wife, was reportedly enraged about the affair.

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

In December Mr Saffi dismissed as a rumour reports his mother was married to Saddam.

He said he was considering going overseas, but maintained this had nothing to do with the attention from the authorities.

"They have the right to ask any time they want. I don't have a problem at all. I do work in a secure area. I do fly with the aeroplanes as well."

The NZ Immigration Service says residency applicants are required to declare names of close relatives, including step-parents and siblings.

A spokesman would not say if Mr Saffi had declared a relationship with Hussein.

- NZPA