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| Latin America |
| Iranians wanted for ’94 Bueons Aires bomb |
| 2003-03-08 |
An Argentine judge has asked Interpol to arrest four Iranian officials accused of being involved in a deadly bomb attack on a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires in 1994. Judge Juan Jose Galeano ordered their arrest after Argentine intelligence services linked the officials to the bombing, in which 85 people were killed. Iran's former Intelligence and Security Minister, Ali Fallahijan, and the former cultural attache at the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Moshe Rabbani, are among those named in the arrest warrants. Israel and the United States have always said they suspect Iranian-backed Arab militants of being behind the attack. Tehran has always denied any involvement, as has the Lebanese guerrilla group, Hezbollah. The judge based his ruling on a new report by the Argentine intelligence services which has yet to be made public. It is the first time an official Argentine body has drawn conclusions on the international leads in the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (Amia), the worst in the country's history. In his 400-page ruling Judge Galeano is reported to have cited "responsibility in the attack on the Amia of radical militant elements in the Islamic Republic of Iran". Leaked versions of the intelligence report published in the Argentine press, say that in the days leading up to the attack, there was an unusual movement of Iranian diplomats in and out of Argentina. There were also said to have been many telephone calls between Buenos Aires, Iranian Government offices and the Paraguayan city of Ciudad del Este, which has a large Arab community on the Brazilian and Argentine border. The explosives used in the blast were reportedly brought from this tri-border area - frequently alleged to be the scene for fundraising for Islamic militants. The order to blow the Amia building up was given by Iranian Government officials and Hezbollah leaders, security services are reported to have concluded. Argentine security officials are said to be concerned that Judge Galeano did not ask for the arrest of Hezbollah members, according to the Clarin newspaper. Hezbollah was first blamed for the attack by the government of Carlos Menem, in office at the time of the blast. But in the past nine years, the case has been plagued by disappearing witnesses and unexplained delays. Last year, the New York Times quoted a key witness accusing Mr Menem himself of receiving a $10m bribe to cover up the Iranian connection to the Amia attack. The former president denies the allegations. Argentina 300,000-strong Jewish community is the largest in Latin America, and has been the target of other attacks. A 1992 bomb attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in which 29 people were killed also remains unsolved. |
| Posted by:Bulldog |