San Diego Iranian Community Fears Retribution

Members of San Diego’s small Iranian community say they fear retribution for Friday’s suspected terrorist bombing here.

The fiery explosion destroyed a van driven by the wife of Capt. Will Rogers III, who directed the July, 1988, missile attack that mistakenly downed an Iranian jetliner in the Persian Gulf.

Friday’s bombing, which left Sharon Rogers uninjured, has stirred speculation that the attack was to avenge the deaths of the 290 people aboard the civilian jetliner. The attack is under investigation by federal authorities.

“People blame us for everything the Ayatollah (Khomeini of Iran) does, from book-burnings to hijackings,” said Sara Ahamadianfard, who came to the United States in 1975 with her husband, a student at United States International University here.

“So it won’t surprise me if people assume Iranians had something to do with this,” she said.

Adeeb Nozar Ahmadi, who works at a San Diego grocery store, said he worries that someone angered by the van bombing might take out their frustration on him or his young son.

“I can tell when some people come into the store that they don’t think I deserve to be here, that I am somehow a terrorist because of the actions of people I don’t even know,” he said.