Mother in Iran jail taken to hospital after panic attacks

THE British mother imprisoned in Iran was taken to hospital yesterday after suffering panic attacks in her cell.

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe suffered two attacks and collapsed, according to husband Richard Ratcliffe. He added that she had complained on Tuesday of numb legs, painful headaches and rashes.

Her friends in the prison also said she had suffered an anxiety attack and was not able to move her arms and then fainted, local media reported.

It comes just days after she was reunited with her family, including four-year-old daughter Gabriella, during a three-day temporary release. She applied for an extension but it was denied and she was returned to her cell on Sunday.

Mr Ratcliffe told the Telegraph: ‘It feels like the physical symptoms of crushing disappointment since she went back into prison.’

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, from Hampstead, north London, was said to have fainted after bidding goodbye to Gabriella, who burst into tears when she was told her mother was returning to prison.

She has been held for more than two years over spying charges she strongly denies.