BATON ROUGE - A friend of a Baton Rouge man who had been in jail in Iran since the fall told WBRZ Chief Investigator Chris Nakamoto Friday, the individual has been released but can't leave the country.

Hamed Ghassemi flew with his mother's remains for a burial following her murder last spring. Tahereh Ghassemi, Hamed's mother, was killed in a murder-for-hire plot in April 2015. Hamed Ghassemi never returned to the United States and friends said he had been arrested and speculated if his life state-side was related to his apprehension.

"He was accused of becoming a Christian," his friend, Heather Rangeley said, in an interview months after Hamed Ghassemi went missing.

Rangeley said Friday, her friend had been released from jail but was on a type of house arrest. She said the pair communicate frequently and last corresponded with him earlier in the day.

Tahereh Ghassemi's ex-husband, Hamid Ghassemi, is accused of hiring an employee and some associates to kill his ex-wife. Hamid Ghassemi owned Import One car lots in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

The Ghassemis are from Iran.

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