 According to a 2011 report by NPR news, he "was believed to be an agent-in-place for the CIA", who decided "he wanted out of Iran", but once in the US "got cold feet" and "made his way back to Iran".Nevertheless, he was sentenced to ten years in prison after returning.Despite this sentence, he was reported as executed in August 2016, and his body was returned to his family with rope marks around his neck.