Authorities in Boise, Idaho arrested Christian Iranian Pastor Saeed Abedini Sunday for violating the no-contact order taken out by his allegedly abused ex-wife Naghmeh Abedini.
Pastor Saeed apparently sent derogatory text messages and emails to Naghmeh and called her names, according to reports. In 2016, a judge ordered that Saeed could only get in touch with his ex-wife over matters concerning their children.
The pastor remains in jail as of Monday pending a $500 bond. He claims he's not guilty of the current charges and is awaiting consultations with a public defender.
Saeed also told the judge that he currently lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he still works as a pastor. He has been in his new city and job for the last nine months.
The former Muslim converted to Christianity in 2000 and moved to Idaho with his wife and family in 2005. He retained dual citizenship as an American and Iranian in 2010 so he could travel back and forth between the two countries.
He founded Christian schools and underground houses of worship in Iran. During a 2012 visit to his home country, Iranian police detained Saeed and charged him with evangelizing, which carried an eight-year prison sentence.
As the pastor refused to denounce his Christian faith, his wife back in the United States sought help for his release, which involved Rev. Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. After the lengthy struggle for his release, however, Naghmeh accused her husband of psychological and sexual abuse.
Back in 2007, he pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor. Naghmeh then filed for legal separation after Saeed returned to the U.S. following his prison time in Iran.
According to documents of their legal separation proceedings obtained by The Christian Post, Saeed stated in his testimony that his wife tried to take over his church. He also accused his wife of lying about the circumstances that led to his guilty plea in 2007.
