Bushy-tailed squirrels may look innocuous, but according to a report coming out of Iran, over a dozen of the furry critters were detained near the country's border on suspicion of espionage. That's right, the rodents are alleged to have have been rigged with high-tech spying equipment (or so say the news reports picking up on this story):
The rodents were found near the Iranian border allegedly equipped with eavesdropping devices, according to Sky News.
The reports have come from the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
When asked to confirm the story, the national police chief said: "I have heard about it, but I do not have precise information."
The IRNA said that the squirrels were kitted out by foreign intelligence services - but were captured two weeks ago by police officers.
Squirrel espionage would not be without precedent. Other members of the animal kingdom have been tagged as possible spies, including pigeons and cats.
A U.K. Foreign Officer source reportedly told Sky News: "The story is nuts."
