Former Iranian national soccer team captain Ali Daei said that his family was prevented from leaving the country.
Daei has previously voiced his support of the anti-government protests in Iran.
The BBC reported that the family was removed from its flight as his wife and daughters tried to fly to join Daei in Dubai on Monday.
Here’s what we know
The New York Times reported that Daei, who openly shared his support of the protests happening in Iran, said that his wife and daughter were prevented from leaving the country on their flight to Dubai.
Daei’s wife and daughter were traveling from Tehran to Dubai when the flight was suddenly ordered to land on the Iranian island of Kish. They were ordered to leave and were not taken into custody.
The official news agency, IRNA, reported in an article that “they hadn’t informed relevant authorities of their decision to leave despite being ordered to do so,” but the news agency has now retracted the article, according to CNN.
“No one has given me an answer about this. I really don’t know what the reason for this is,” Daei said.
Time reported that Daei and his family were taking part in supporting the protests by “backing anti-revolutionary groups and rioters, and calling for strikes.”
Why are there protests in Iran?
Protests in Iran ignited after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was taken into “morality police” custody for breaking morality rules by wearing her hijab loosely.
The Deseret News reported that she died while in custody, and a witness of her death claimed that the police were responsible for her death.
Before this event, the country had rising tensions after Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi “targeted women” by heightening the strict nature of the morality laws in the country, according to The New York Times.
CNN reported that Daei stood in solidarity with Iranian protesters by not attending the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
“Instead of repression, violence and arresting the Iranian people, solve their problems,” Daei wrote on Instagram.