CBS:

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Friends of a San Diego man expressed their concerns Wednesday because they believe he was taken captive in Iran.

Robin Shahini of San Diego was visiting family in Iran on July 11th when friends say he was detained by Iranian authorities.

Shahini graduated from San Diego State University in May. He returned to Iran to visit his sick mother and is now behind bars, held in a secret location by Iranian authorities.

Shahini's girlfriend spoke with CBS News 8 under the condition that her identity not be revealed. 

"They searched the house, took his personal stuff. They showed him the paper they had - state-crime against the state," she said.

Shahini lived in San Diego for 16-years. He supported a controversial political movement in Iran several years ago. The president in power at the time has long been gone.

Shahini figured his political past would not be a problem.

According to his girlfriend, when Shahini arrived at the airport in Iran, authorities checked his documentation and let him proceed. "After he left the airport, I called and I talked to him," she said. Shahini told her they "just checked my documentation and let me go".

For a month-and-a-half, Shahini did not encounter any signs of problems until July 11th - when authorities suddenly arrested him.

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