Executive Secretary of Tehran's Vo'az (preachers) Community Abbas Amirifar was arrested for his assistance to creation of a film about Imam Mehdi, mashreghnews.ir and tabnak.ir portals close to the ruling conservatives' camp reported.

In the film, Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was presented as the incarnation of Sayyid Khurasani, while President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the incarnation of Shuaib bin Saleh. Shiites believe that these two individuals will help Imam Mahdi to save the world from oppression and violence. Many influential religious figures in Iran, including Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, have expressed strong protest against the film and its demonstration.

Former head of the Iranian President’s administration Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei appointed Amirifar as member of the Cultural Council at the Presidential Administration in May 2010, MEHR news agency reported.

Many media outlets close to the ruling conservatives' camp of Iran say that a film about Imam Mahdi was funded by Mashaei.