Iran tied to '94 car bombing in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- An Argentine prosecutor on Wednesdaysought the arrest of former Iranian President Akbar HashemiRafsanjani, accusing him of approving the 1994 car bombing thatkilled 85 people at a Jewish community center in the Argentinecapital.

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman charged that six other Iranians and aLebanese were involved in the attack, including a top Hezbollahfigure, Imad Fayez Mugniyah. Mugniyah is already wanted by the UnitedStates for allegedly plotting the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marinebarracks in Beirut and the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner, whichresulted in the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem.

Nisman said the accused met on Aug. 13, 1993, in Mashad, one ofIran's holiest cities, to approve the attack. He charged that theplot involved not only top political officials, but also lower-leveldiplomats in the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires.

"It wasn't a decision taken around a coffee table one day to thenext by five or six gentlemen," said Nisman. He called it a well-calculated plan that was part of a "terrorist matrix" that includedassassinations in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Nisman is the first Argentine official to publicly accuseofficials in Tehran of involvement in the attack, which many hereconsider the Argentine equivalent of Sept. 11, and his charges lendcredence to longstanding American claims that Iran and Hezbollah aresponsors of international terrorism.

But they aren't likely to result in arrests anytime soon. JudgeRodolfo Canicoba Corral must first approve Nisman's findings andissue arrest warrants. Then Argentina would have to seek thesuspects' extradition from Iran -- a request Iran is unlikely tohonor.

Warrants could, however, prevent the suspects from travelingfreely outside Iran; they'd be subject to arrest under internationalpolice agreements.

Nisman, who spoke to reporters in Buenos Aires, released fewdetails of his investigation. A full report was given to Canicoba ona CD because of the volume of the material. It's unknown whenCanicoba will rule on the matter.

How Nisman traced the bombing to a specific meeting attended byRafsanjani is also unknown. In Washington, Vincent Cannistraro, aformer head of counterterrorism operations and analysis for the CIA,said he doesn't know of anyone who can confirm the meeting.

"From an intelligence point of view, we know Mugniyah directed theoperation," Cannistraro said. "There's been no confirmation of anymeeting. ... No one has that precise intelligence. I do know there isnot a hard source that is credible and attended that meeting."

Rafsanjani was the president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 and remainsa powerful political force there. He ran for president last year, butwas defeated by the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Hecurrently serves as chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, apowerful body that attempts to resolve policy differences between thegovernment and the clerics who must approve all government actions.

In 1997, German prosecutors said they believed Rafsanjani orderedthe murder of an Iranian-Kurdish leader there, but Rafsanjani wasnever charged.

Rafsanjani also was the go-between in the arms-for-hostages dealsthat gave rise to the Iran-contra affair during Ronald Reagan'spresidency.

Mugniyah has an extensive terrorist resume. He was indicted in theUnited States for Stethem's murder and is on the European Union'slist of most wanted terrorists. He's variously described asHezbollah's head of security and a founder of the organization. Inaddition to the Marines barracks bombing, he's thought to have beeninvolved in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and thekidnapping of journalist Terry Anderson there.

The United States has offered a $5 million reward for his capture.

The bombing of the AMIA Jewish center here has remained an openwound, with accusations of bungling and cover-ups being leviedagainst successive Argentine governments. The only people tried inthe case were two Argentine police officers accused of helpingterrorists obtain a van used to carry a hidden bomb. Both werecleared.

Adding to the mystery, a former Iranian spy alleged in 2003 thatCarlos Saul Menem, Argentina's president at the time of the bombing,received $10 million in a secret Swiss bank account as payment fromIran to quash the investigation. Menem, of Syrian descent,acknowledged the secret account but denied the hush money.

Later that same year, as Argentina tried to have Great Britainextradite Hadi Soleimanpour, Iran's former ambassador to Argentina,news reports emerged that the chief Argentine judge investigating thebombing -- Juan Jose Galeano -- paid a witness $400,000 for testimonyand that he was writing a book on the case. He was removed from thecase in 2004, and Nisman was appointed to investigate.

Against that backdrop, families of the victims had their doubtsWednesday.

"After more than 12 years, we had hoped for more results," saidSofia Guterman, whose 28-year-old daughter, Andrea, perished in theattack, which also injured more than 200. "I don't think it'll bevery easy to extradite those people."

Lawyers representing the victims were a bit more upbeat. MartaNercellas, who's investigated the Iranian connection even when hergovernment wouldn't, told McClatchy Newspapers that there's newevidence in Nisman's case.

Nercellas said Nisman's report includes testimony from formerIranian spies and ex-Hezbollah fighters who now reside in Europe.

"There are new and different testimonies," she said.

Iran tied to '94 car bombing in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- An Argentine prosecutor on Wednesdaysought the arrest of former Iranian President Akbar HashemiRafsanjani, accusing him of approving the 1994 car bombing thatkilled 85 people at a Jewish community center in the Argentinecapital.

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman charged that six other Iranians and aLebanese were involved in the attack, including a top Hezbollahfigure, Imad Fayez Mugniyah. Mugniyah is already wanted by the UnitedStates for allegedly plotting the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marinebarracks in Beirut and the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner, whichresulted in the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem.

Nisman said the accused met on Aug. 13, 1993, in Mashad, one ofIran's holiest cities, to approve the attack. He charged that theplot involved not only top political officials, but also lower-leveldiplomats in the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires.

"It wasn't a decision taken around a coffee table one day to thenext by five or six gentlemen," said Nisman. He called it a well-calculated plan that was part of a "terrorist matrix" that includedassassinations in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Nisman is the first Argentine official to publicly accuseofficials in Tehran of involvement in the attack, which many hereconsider the Argentine equivalent of Sept. 11, and his charges lendcredence to longstanding American claims that Iran and Hezbollah aresponsors of international terrorism.

But they aren't likely to result in arrests anytime soon. JudgeRodolfo Canicoba Corral must first approve Nisman's findings andissue arrest warrants. Then Argentina would have to seek thesuspects' extradition from Iran -- a request Iran is unlikely tohonor.

Warrants could, however, prevent the suspects from travelingfreely outside Iran; they'd be subject to arrest under internationalpolice agreements.

Nisman, who spoke to reporters in Buenos Aires, released fewdetails of his investigation. A full report was given to Canicoba ona CD because of the volume of the material. It's unknown whenCanicoba will rule on the matter.

How Nisman traced the bombing to a specific meeting attended byRafsanjani is also unknown. In Washington, Vincent Cannistraro, aformer head of counterterrorism operations and analysis for the CIA,said he doesn't know of anyone who can confirm the meeting.

"From an intelligence point of view, we know Mugniyah directed theoperation," Cannistraro said. "There's been no confirmation of anymeeting. ... No one has that precise intelligence. I do know there isnot a hard source that is credible and attended that meeting."

Rafsanjani was the president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 and remainsa powerful political force there. He ran for president last year, butwas defeated by the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Hecurrently serves as chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, apowerful body that attempts to resolve policy differences between thegovernment and the clerics who must approve all government actions.

In 1997, German prosecutors said they believed Rafsanjani orderedthe murder of an Iranian-Kurdish leader there, but Rafsanjani wasnever charged.

Rafsanjani also was the go-between in the arms-for-hostages dealsthat gave rise to the Iran-contra affair during Ronald Reagan'spresidency.

Mugniyah has an extensive terrorist resume. He was indicted in theUnited States for Stethem's murder and is on the European Union'slist of most wanted terrorists. He's variously described asHezbollah's head of security and a founder of the organization. Inaddition to the Marines barracks bombing, he's thought to have beeninvolved in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and thekidnapping of journalist Terry Anderson there.

The United States has offered a $5 million reward for his capture.

The bombing of the AMIA Jewish center here has remained an openwound, with accusations of bungling and cover-ups being leviedagainst successive Argentine governments. The only people tried inthe case were two Argentine police officers accused of helpingterrorists obtain a van used to carry a hidden bomb. Both werecleared.

Adding to the mystery, a former Iranian spy alleged in 2003 thatCarlos Saul Menem, Argentina's president at the time of the bombing,received $10 million in a secret Swiss bank account as payment fromIran to quash the investigation. Menem, of Syrian descent,acknowledged the secret account but denied the hush money.

Later that same year, as Argentina tried to have Great Britainextradite Hadi Soleimanpour, Iran's former ambassador to Argentina,news reports emerged that the chief Argentine judge investigating thebombing -- Juan Jose Galeano -- paid a witness $400,000 for testimonyand that he was writing a book on the case. He was removed from thecase in 2004, and Nisman was appointed to investigate.

Against that backdrop, families of the victims had their doubtsWednesday.

"After more than 12 years, we had hoped for more results," saidSofia Guterman, whose 28-year-old daughter, Andrea, perished in theattack, which also injured more than 200. "I don't think it'll bevery easy to extradite those people."

Lawyers representing the victims were a bit more upbeat. MartaNercellas, who's investigated the Iranian connection even when hergovernment wouldn't, told McClatchy Newspapers that there's newevidence in Nisman's case.

Nercellas said Nisman's report includes testimony from formerIranian spies and ex-Hezbollah fighters who now reside in Europe.

"There are new and different testimonies," she said.