Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Survives Assassination Attempt

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad narrowly survived an assassination attempt after his vehicle was reportedly sabotaged, Iranian media reported Wednesday, The Caspian Post reports via Newsweek.

The plot was said to involve tampering with Ahmadinejad's car, which his security team discovered just in time to prevent a potentially fatal outcome.

On the evening of Monday, July 15, while traveling to Zanjan for the Muharram religious mourning ceremony, the ex-president's chief security officer noticed that the air conditioner in his primary vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was malfunctioning, the London-based Iran International TV network reported. He then advised the former president to switch to another car.

While in transit, the SUV spun out of control, collided with another vehicle in the convoy, and eventually stopped after hitting another car.

The incident was reported to the authorities five days later.

Ahmadinejad's chief security officer discovered the ongoing A/C issue and requested that Ahmadinejad use a different vehicle, per the report. The Land Cruiser was instead used to transport Ahmadinejad's associates and bodyguards when it spun out.

Two days before the trip, his security team reportedly sent the Land Cruiser for repairs due to the broken A/C.