the arrest of edward chaplin by iran was big news in 1987. the fallout lasted years and severely damaged diplomatic ties between the two nations. in the east of england... the kidnapping was i apparently linked to... but this extraordinary tale actually began at a shopping centre in manchester, and is a lesson in how things can escalate. there was a vice consul by the name of ali qassemi, who was arrested by the police for shoplifting. i can still remember the details. two pairs of socks and a lady“s purse, i think were nicked from the arndale centre, from bhs, ithink. and so he was ordered to report to a police station a week later, i think. and when he failed to show, the police went looking for him and he, in the phrase of the police report, i think resisted arrest. so there was a scuffle. this afternoon, the iranian, ali qassemi, went to the foreign office to show off his injuries, such as they were. there are signs of. torture by the police. this the iranians took as a mortal, mortal insult that one of their diplomats, as they saw it,