Would the Iranian mullahs try to assassinate opposition leaders abroad? Especially while they are so threatened at home? What do you think?
“Iran diplomat among six arrested over suspected plot against opposition meeting,” by Robert-Jan Bartunek and John Irish, Reuters, July 2, 2018:
BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) – An Iranian diplomat has been arrested along with two people suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in France attended by Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Belgian authorities said on Monday.
Three other arrests were made in France.
Several former European and Arab ministers also attended the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – an umbrella bloc of opposition groups in exile that seek an end to Shi’ite Muslim clerical rule in Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister called the news a sinister “false-flag ploy” and said Tehran was ready to work with all concerned parties to get to the bottom of it.
Two suspects in Belgium were intercepted by Belgian police on Saturday, with 500 grams of TATP, a home-made explosive produced from easily available chemicals, as well as a detonation device found in their car, a joint statement by the Belgian prosecutor and the intelligence services said.
The 38-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, identified only as Amir S. and Nasimeh N., were charged with attempted terrorist murder and preparation of a terrorist act, it said.
The diplomat at the Iranian embassy in the Austrian capital Vienna was arrested in Germany, the Belgian statement said.
Three people of Iranian origin were arrested in France to assess their link to the Brussels’ suspects, a French judicial source said.
“How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its ‘plotters’ arrested,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.
“Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to visit Austria on Wednesday.
The Belgian statement gave no further details about diplomat, other than saying they were suspected of having been in contact with the Belgian pair arrested.
It said one of those arrested in France, Merhad. A, was a suspected accomplice of the pair in Brussels….
Peter Buckley says
With every desperate attempt to silence dissenters, the mullahs reveal they have not long left. For them, the voices of dissent grow daily:
https://irannc.org/en/58952-2/our-vision/
J D S says
It would be nice if they would just keep arresting each other till they were all gone.
elee says
Is anyone surprised? Does anyone remember what Persia thinks of diplomatic immunity? 1979?
gravenimage says
Grimly true.
ElderlyZionist says
“Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere, and is ready to work with all concerned to uncover what is a sinister false flag ploy.”
You’re a funny, funny man, Minister Zarif.
In the past Iran has used Hezbollah sleeper cells to do bombings and assassinations in Argentina, Bulgaria, Thailand and India, among other places. I haven’t heard of them using Iranian nationals before. Careless.
esther says
Did schmuck Mohammad Javad Zarif have the temerity to the claim that the
dog and bitch caught RED HANDED with explosives were “persons unknown
to the Ayatoilets? “”
11B40 says
Greetings:
This doesn’t seem to have popped up on the France24 English-language yet.
11B40 says
Greetings:
France24 has it up now as a screen crawl.
gravenimage says
Glad they are reporting it now.
gravenimage says
Iran diplomat among six arrested for plotting bomb attack at meeting of exiled opposition group
……………….
So glad this plot was foiled.
Are we going to see Christianblood here, telling us again that Iran has never been responsible for terrorism, but is just as pure as the driven snow?
Phil Copson says
C’mon JB – the Nazi comparisons are bit excessive – how does a major vehicle manufacturer NOT trade with the government of the day ? Would you want to be the Mercedes executive to say “We disagree with your foreign policy in relation to Stalingrad Mr H, and so we won’t supply any more lorries.” It’s just not going to happen, is it ?
And the ayatollahs are vastly worse than any Mercedes diesel.
Mercedes (and others – Scania etc) supporting the Iranian regime is a whole different kettle of fish however, and boycotting companies that trade with it is your right.
I won’t buy from companies that donate to BLM, support BDS, or fire employees for having inconvenient political views