Protesters in New York jostled and yelled at Iran's foreign ministry spokesman in a street near the United Nations, but police said Thursday that the official had been pulled out to safety. Video footage posted online shows the small crowd of screaming protesters pursuing Ramin Mehmanparast on Wednesday a short distance from UN headquarters, where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been addressing the General Assembly.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said the incident ended when officers rescued the diplomat. He "was escorted away by the NYPD from an angry crowed who recognised him and was yelling at him in the vicinity of 48th Street and 2nd Avenue," Browne said. A larger demonstration organised by Iranian exile groups took place outside the United Nations on Wednesday.