Friday night, we ran footage of what seemed to be a Middle Eastern man with a Martha Coakley button on being forcefully removed from the Bill Clinton/Martha Coakley rally at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).  We were unable to get any details at all from the police and, as you can see from the video, the Secret Service wanted us nowhere near the area.

Without a name, and with authorities being closed-lipped about any details at all,  we feared this story was going to be a dead end unless we could catch a break.  While covering President Obama's stump speech for Martha Coakley at Northeastern University in Boston on Sunday January 17th, we came across a familiar face standing on the street corner right next to us.

Allow us to introduce Behzad Samimi, a naturalized Iranian immigrant, who jumped on the opportunity to share with us the events that led to his removal and detainment by the Secret Service at the Bill Clinton rally.

From Behzad's own photo collection:

"9/22/09, Union Station Restaurant in Northampton MA. Honorable Massachusetts Attorney General, Martha Coakley (our soon to be U.S. Senator) & Behzad Samimi, a Springfield, MA grassroots campaign volunteer for "Martha Coakley for U.S. Senate"."

(Had Martha Coakley actually attended the Clinton rally held in her name, perhaps she could have spoken up up for Behzad)

"9/22/09, Union Station Restaurant in Northampton MA. A reception With Martha Coakley, Senator Ben Downing & Behzad Samimi, a Springfield, MA grassroots campaign volunteer for "Martha Coakley for U.S. Senate""

"9/22/09, Greenfield, MA The Pushkin Rally Event, Michael Walsh, Regional Field Director, Western Massachusetts & Behzad Samimi, a Springfield, MA grassroots campaign volunteer for "Martha Coakley for U.S. Senate""

The Bill Clinton rally at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was the same event where the Secret Service denied a handicapped SEIU member the use of a wheelchair ramp, thus preventing him from hearing Bill Clinton speak.  We have his interview on our previous article:

Handicapped SEIU Member Barred from Coakley/Clinton Rally

**UPDATE**

2:24 PM 1/18/10 - Behzad called to thank us for getting this story out.  As he put it, this type of activity was the reason he left Iran, and if this can happen to him today, it can happen to you tomorrow.