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A mysterious man known by some as the Iranian president’s “exorcist” has been arrested, in the latest sign that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s involvement with purveyors of the so-called “dark arts” is raising concerns among Iran’s leadership.

Abbas Ghaffari, described as Ahmadinejad’s “exorcist” or “jinn (genie) catcher” is reportedly among a number of people in Ahmadinejad’s circle who have been arrested lately, amid reports of continuing strains between the president and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a fiery speech Tuesday in the Iranian holy city of Qom, Mojtaba Zolnour, Khamenei’s representative in the Revolutionary Guard, said he asked Ahmadinejad: “What do you see in this Mashaei, other than links to exorcists, soothsayers and fortune tellers? … They come and gurgle on about his prophecies, and Mr. Ahmadinejad thinks he has divine knowledge.”

Ahmadinejad has also frequently raised concerns with what some see as his obsession over the concept of the “12th Imam,” a belief among some Muslims that a leader who has been in hiding since 869 will return and unite the world under the banner of Islam.

Believers say the 12th Imam will only appear during a time of worldwide chaos, however, leading some to fear Ahmadinejad would deliberately act to destabilize the international situation in the hopes of sparking the imam’s return. Ahmadinejad has reportedly stabilized a rift with Kahmenei, following a nearly two-week sustained sulk that kept him out of his office.

Abbas Amirifar is accused of being the man behind the controversial CD which was circulated in Iran depicting Ahmadinejad as the prophesied, Shoaib-ibn-Saleh. the right hand man of Imam Mahdi, who will liberate the world according to the Shiite theology, from corruption and repression. According to the CD, Ahmadinejad manifests all the prophesied characteristics which include a small beard, thin body frame, dark skin, leader of armies, sharp insight with strong determination and from the city of Ray, current day Tehran. Amirifar has also showed unequivocal support for Ahmadinejad's right hand man, Rahim Mashaei.

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Wow..i missed this one!  Lol!  Yeah, amad is a 12-er forsure.  I have a good book about him.  But this sort of reminds me of Queen Alexander of Russia and Rasputin.  One of the reasons used to stir up revolt was her reliance on Rasputin's magic.