A former diplomat is facing extradition after a raid on his home in a North-East village at the request of US anti- terror agents.

Nosratollah Tajik, a former Iranian ambassador to Jordan, was detained by officers from the Metropolitan Police, who travelled to his County Durham home following an undercover operation at a London hotel carried out by US agents.

Members of the US Department of Homeland Security posed as arms dealers want-ing to illegally sell night- vision goggles for export to Iran. They allegedly arranged a series of meetings in London hotels, which they secretly filmed as evidence. The operation is thought to be the first time US agents have been caught using such sting tactics in Britain.

Mr Tajik, who has lived with his family in Britain for several years, is an honorary fellow of Durham University's Institute for Middle East and Islamic Studies.

He was arrested by British police officers before the alleged deal went ahead and was detained in prison for a week.

Police said he is accused of conspiring to sell military equipment to Islamic extremists.

Since his arrest, Mr Tajik - who was recently in hospital with a serious illness - has been released on bail and has reported daily to a police station near his home in Beechfield Rise, Coxhoe, on the outskirts of Durham City.

In an unrelated matter, The Northern Echo has learned that Mr Tajik was named in a 2005 US House of Representatives inquiry into state-sponsored terrorism by Iran, as being involved in setting up Hezbollah cells in Palestine.

Mr Tajik yesterday refused to comment on the allegations surrounding his arrest.

His neighbours spoke of their shock at his arrest.

A woman, who did not want to be identified, said: "Mr Tajik and his family have lived here for a number of years. I can't believe he is accused of selling arms to extremists."

Another neighbour said: "Mr Tajik seems such a quiet, timid man. He is friendly, quiet-spoken and well-mannered."

The arrest has prompted criticism from human rights campaigners. A spokesman for Liberty said last night: "We already have a one-sided extradition arrangement that allows people to be bundled off to America without so much as a by-your-leave.

"Now we have US agents operating in Britain, entrapping people into criminality in the first place. We need an explanation."

Mr Tajik is due to appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on December 4 in an extradition hearing, where his legal team are expected to claim he has no terrorist connections or criminal record, and that the US agents acted illegally as "agents provocateurs" by trapping him.

Sources close to Mr Tajik say he feels he is being made a scapegoat for the US's opposition to Iran.

The operation has caused controversy because it has not been confirmed whether the Government was made aware of events while they were in progress.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We do not discuss our investigative techniques, but we do nothing illegal and we work to Home Office guidelines."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are aware this man is wanted by the US government on charges of alleged arms sales. The matter is before the courts so we cannot comment."

A Durham University spokesman said: "As former Iranian ambassador to Jordan, and in line with the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies' policy of engaging with members of the Middle-Eastern policy community to enhance relations with the Islamic world, Nosratollah Tajik was accepted as an honorary fellow of the institute upon his arrival in Durham in 2004.

"In 2005, Mr Tajik provided short-term cover to the university's Language Centre, teaching Farsi to a small class of undergraduate students.

"These teaching responsibilities ended earlier this year, and Mr Tajik is not on the university's payroll."

According to a witness at a House of Representatives inquiry into state-sponsored terrorism last year, Mr Tajik was one of several Iranian diplomats recruiting Palestinians to establish terrorist cells.