Half a kilo of explosives was brought to Paris in a diplomatic suitcases in order to carry out a terror attack, before being foiled by French authorities, it was reported in the British media.



The British newspaper "Independent in Arabic" quoted an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city.

According to the report, the plane arrived from Tehran to Geneva in June 2018, following an Iranian plan to carry out a terrorist attack during a meeting of the Iranian opposition. According to a report based on intelligence sources, the attack was supposed to be carried out by an Iranian intelligence official who worked at the Iranian embassy in Austria since 2014, but French intelligence thwarted the attack after the authorities arrested a Belgian couple of Iranian origin who had the explosives in their car on their way to Paris.A Western intelligence source said the intelligence official visited Tehran on July 20, 2018, where he received TATP explosives. On June 22, he transferred explosives in a civilian plane from Tehran to Austria on flight OS872, when the material was delivered in a diplomatic suitcase aboard the Airbus A320. The plane had 240 passengers.The source added that the transfer of the explosives into a civilian plane constitutes a clear and blatant blow to all international treaties related to security in international aviation, for if it enters into strong pockets of air, the plane would explode in the air. The source referred to the Russian plane that exploded shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt three years ago, and all 244 passengers aboard were killed by an explosive charge weighing half a kilogram of TNT.According to the intelligence source, the material seized by the Belgian couple in Iran and its transfer to a terrorist attack on a civilian plane is a dangerous violation of international conventions. According to the source, Iran frequently uses civilian aircraft and civilian airlines to transport explosives, weapons and ballistic missiles, as well as funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world.

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Half a ton of explosives was brought to Paris in a diplomatic suitcases in order to carry out a terror attack, before being foiled by French authorities, it was reported in the British media.



The British newspaper "Independent in Arabic" quoted an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city.

According to the report, the plane arrived from Tehran to Geneva in June 2018, following an Iranian plan to carry out a terrorist attack during a meeting of the Iranian opposition. According to a report based on intelligence sources, the attack was supposed to be carried out by an Iranian intelligence official who worked at the Iranian embassy in Austria since 2014, but French intelligence thwarted the attack after the authorities arrested a Belgian couple of Iranian origin who had the explosives in their car on their way to Paris.A Western intelligence source said the intelligence official visited Tehran on July 20, 2018, where he received TATP explosives. On June 22, he transferred explosives in a civilian plane from Tehran to Austria on flight OS872, when the material was delivered in a diplomatic suitcase aboard the Airbus A320. The plane had 240 passengers.The source added that the transfer of the explosives into a civilian plane constitutes a clear and blatant blow to all international treaties related to security in international aviation, for if it enters into strong pockets of air, the plane would explode in the air. The source referred to the Russian plane that exploded shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt three years ago, and all 244 passengers aboard were killed by an explosive charge weighing half a kilogram of TNT.According to the intelligence source, the material seized by the Belgian couple in Iran and its transfer to a terrorist attack on a civilian plane is a dangerous violation of international conventions. According to the source, Iran frequently uses civilian aircraft and civilian airlines to transport explosives, weapons and ballistic missiles, as well as funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world.

Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>> </s> BRUSSELS (AP) — A married couple with Iranian roots was arrested "just in time" as they allegedly prepared to head to France from Belgium to bomb a large rally an Iranian opposition group held over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

The federal prosecutor's office said the Belgian citizens were charged with "attempt at terrorist murder and preparing a terrorist crime" against the opposition group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was among the speakers at the Saturday rally in the town of Villepinte near Paris.

Investigators who detained the couple on Saturday and searched their car found about half a kilogram (more than a pound) of TATP explosives and a detonator, federal magistrate Eric Van der Sijpt said.

A half-kilogram of TATP could cause a sizeable explosion, and in a crowd estimated to have reached 25,000, considerable bloodshed and widespread panic.

"We can say we arrested them just in time," Van der Sijpt told The Associated Press.

As well as Iranian exiles, there were several American speakers at the event, which took place in a packed hall at an exhibition center north of Paris.

"All I can say is that they were planning a terrorist attack at a conference. I don't know if they were targeting somebody special," Van der Sijpt said.

The Belgian prosecutors' office said Belgian security services, France's domestic intelligence service and German judicial authorities had been instrumental in preventing another terror attack in France.

Police raided five homes after the couple was detained, but did not disclose if they found additional evidence.

A man detained in Germany "seems to be an Iranian diplomat attached to the Iranian Embassy in Vienna, in Austria," Van der Sijpt said.

Three people also were detained for questioning in France. Investigators worked to determine their relationships with the Belgian suspects, according to a French judicial source who discussed the ongoing investigation on condition of anonymity.

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, widely known as MEK, is an exiled Iranian opposition group detested by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which refers to them as "hypocrites."

The formerly armed group had been on European Union and U.S. terrorism lists before being delisted from both. The weekend rally, called "Free Iran 2018 — The Alternative," sought to plant the seeds for regime change in Iran.

"Regime change in Iran is within reach as never before," leader Maryam Rajavi said at the event.

Trump's recent appointment of John Bolton, who spoke at a MEK rally before he became national security adviser, and the president's choice of Giuliani, a regular MEK headliner, as his lead lawyer, are seen as moves that could potentially strengthen the group's bid for U.S. backing.

TATP, the explosive Belgian authorities said was found in the couple's car, has been used in several terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years, including the 2016 bomb attacks in Brussels which killed 32 people.

Elaine Ganley and Lori Hinnant in Paris and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report. </s> BRUSSELS (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, Belgian authorities said on Monday.

U.S President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and several former European and Arab ministers were among those attending the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The two suspects in Belgium were intercepted by Belgian police on Saturday, with 500 grams of TATP, a home-made explosive produced of 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.

Two arrests linked to the Belgian case were made in France and Germany. The person arrested in Germany was a diplomat at the Iranian embassy in the Austrian capital Vienna, the Belgian statement said.

Staff at the embassy said the ambassador was not immediately available for comment. 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 gave no details about the fourth suspect, arrested in France.

NCRI is an umbrella bloc of opposition groups in exile that seek an end to Shi’ite Muslim clerical rule in Iran.

Its meeting, which attracted a crowd of thousands, took place on Saturday in Villepinte, just outside of Paris, a three-hour drive from Brussels.

“A plot by the religious dictatorship ruling Iran to carry out a terrorist attack against the grand gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Villepinte was foiled,” Shahin Gobadi spokesman for NCRI said in a statement.

NCRI, also known by its Farsi name Mujahideen-e-Khalq, was once listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union but is no longer.

Tehran has long called for a crackdown on the NCRI in Paris, Riyadh, and Washington. The group is regularly criticized in state media.

Following the arrests, Belgian authorities also conducted five raids in different parts of the country but did not elaborate on whether anything was found.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Twitter thanked police and intelligence officers for their work.

“Once more the good cooperation between countries has borne fruit,” Michel wrote. </s> A married couple with Iranian heritage was arrested "just in time" in Belgium as they allegedly prepared to head to France to bomb a large rally that an Iranian opposition group held over the weekend, authorities said Monday.

The federal prosecutor's office said the Belgian citizens were charged with "attempt at terrorist murder and preparing a terrorist crime" against the group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was among the speakers at the Saturday rally in the French town of Villepinte near Paris.

Investigators who stopped the couple Saturday and searched their car found about half a kilogram (more than a pound) of TATP explosives and a detonator, federal magistrate Eric Van der Sijpt said.

That could cause a sizeable explosion, considerable bloodshed and widespread panic in a crowd that was estimated to have reached 25,000 people.

"We can say we arrested them just in time," Van der Sijpt told The Associated Press.

As well as Iranian exiles, there were several American speakers at the event in a packed hall at an exhibition center north of Paris.

"They were planning a terrorist attack at a conference. I don't know if they were targeting somebody special," Van der Sijpt said.

A man detained in Germany appeared to be an Iranian diplomat from Vienna, Van de Sijpt said. The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq quickly sought to implicate the Iranian government.

"How convenient: Just as we embark on a presidential visit to Europe, an alleged Iranian operation and its 'plotters arrested," Zarif said in a Twitter message. "Iran unequivocally condemns all violence & terror anywhere."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began a two-day visit to Switzerland on Monday and is expected to travel to Austria next.

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, widely known as MEK, is an exiled Iranian opposition group detested by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The formerly armed group had been on European Union and U.S. terrorism lists before being delisted from both. The weekend rally had sought to plant the seeds for regime change in Iran.

"Regime change in Iran is within reach as never before," leader Maryam Rajavi said at the event.

The Belgian prosecutors' office said Belgian security services, France's domestic intelligence service and German judicial authorities had been instrumental in preventing another terror attack in France.

Police raided five homes after the couple was detained but did not disclose if they found additional evidence.

Three people also were detained for questioning in France, but two of them were released Monday with no "incriminating elements" uncovered, a French judicial official source said. Investigators worked to determine the Belgian suspects' ties to the third person detained in France, according to the judicial source who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Trump's recent appointment of John Bolton, who spoke at a MEK rally before he became national security adviser, and Giuliani, a regular MEK headliner, are seen as moves that could strengthen the group's bid for U.S. backing.

TATP, the explosive that Belgian authorities said was found in the suspects' car, has been used in several terror attacks in Europe in recent years, including the 2016 bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people. </s> 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, Belgian authorities said on Monday.

US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and several former European and Arab ministers were among those attending the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The two suspects in Belgium were intercepted by Belgian police on Saturday, with 500 grams of TATP, a home-made explosive produced of 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.

Two arrests linked to the Belgian case were made in France and Germany. The person arrested in Germany was a diplomat at the Iranian embassy in the Austrian capital Vienna, the Belgian statement said.

Staff at the embassy said the ambassador was not immediately available for comment. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to visit Austria on Wednesday. </s> 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, Belgian authorities said yesterday.

President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and several former European and Arab ministers were among those attending the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The two suspects in Belgium were intercepted by Belgian police on Saturday, with 500 grams of TATP, a home-made explosive produced of 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.

Two arrests linked to the Belgian case were made in France and Germany. The person arrested in Germany was a diplomat at the Iranian embassy in the Austrian capital Vienna, the Belgian statement said.

Staff at the embassy said the ambassador was not immediately available for comment. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is due to visit Austria tomorrow.

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 gave no details about the fourth suspect, arrested in France.

NCRI is an umbrella bloc of opposition groups in exile that seek an end to Shiite Muslim clerical rule in Iran. </s> Strong explosions occurred on 20 August near the base of the Iraqi air force, “al-Bakr”, located in the province of Salah al-DIN, approximately 70 km North of Baghdad. According to some reports, the explosions took place at the rocket warehouse Shiite Pro-Iranian militia “Kataib Imam Ali” (“the Battalions of Imam Ali”), a member of the coalition of Forces of popular mobilization “al-Hashd al-SHAABI”.

The website Kurdistan24 notes that in several kilometers from the base, “al-Bakr” the training base of the American army and coalition forces. According to eyewitnesses, some exploding rockets flew in the direction of the American base. Information on casualties among the US military didn’t arrive.

Some media reported about the dead and wounded, including among the civilian population. Media associated with Hizbullah, claim that there were no injuries. The representative of the Ministry of defence of Iraq-Tahsin khafājī said that near the scene is a warehouse of weapons and ammunition of the regular Iraqi army, him and no damage was reported.

It has been suggested that the warehouse was dealt an airstrike. Some witnesses said that the attack was carried out with drones, reports Haaretz. Air attack also was reported by Reuters, Sky News and Al Arabiya. About the drone attacks, said the Iraqi military, although the Minister of defence of Iraq after visiting the scene said that the cause of the explosions is not yet established.

According to Sky News, blew up about 50 missiles delivered from Iran. Some Iraqi officials have suggested that the base attacked by the Israeli air force with F-35 fighters or unmanned aircraft, reports NEWSru.co.il. In this case, according to them, Israel had to agree in detail the operation of the American command, since the goal was near the training base of the U.S. army.

Published in the London pan-Arab newspaper Asharq AL-Awsat, citing Western diplomatic sources writes that in recent weeks, the Israeli army attacked the Iranian warehouses of missile weapons on the territory of Iraq, acting under the agreement with Russia and the United States to Israel’s security in Iraq and Syria. The article mentioned the strikes on targets in Iraq on 19 Jul, 12, and 20 August.

The newspaper notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently hinted that his country was behind an airstrikes in Iraq, saying: “Iran never has immunity. We will act against them wherever necessary”. Official confirmation of the involvement of the IDF in the incident no. The evening of 20 August, the Prime Minister of Iraq Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced that the decision on transfer of all the armories outside of the city and tightening security measures in the airspace of the country. </s> COPENHAGEN - Denmark said on Tuesday it suspected an Iranian intelligence service had tried to carry out a plot to assassinate an Iranian Arab opposition figure on its soil.

A Norwegian citizen of Iranian background was arrested in Sweden on 21 October in connection with the plot and extradited to Denmark, Swedish security police said.

The Norwegian has denied the charges and Tehran also rejected the allegations on Tuesday.

The attack was meant to target the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), Danish intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen said.

ASMLA seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran’s oil-producing southwestern province of Khuzestan.

“We are dealing with an Iranian intelligence agency planning an attack on Danish soil. Obviously, we can’t and won’t accept that,” Andersen told a news conference.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi dismissed the accusations. “This is a continuation of enemies’ plots to damage Iranian relations with Europe at this critical time,” Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.

European countries are trying to save a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact and announced the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.

Andersen said the arrested Norwegian citizen had denied charges in court of helping a foreign intelligence service plot an assassination in Denmark.

Arabs are a minority in Iran, and some see themselves as under Persian occupation and want independence or autonomy.

Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said on Twitter that the reported attack plot was “completely unacceptable”.

“The government will respond to Iran and is speaking with European partners on further measures,” Samuelsen said.

On 28 September, Danish police shut two major bridges to traffic and halted ferry services from Denmark to Sweden and Germany in a nationwide police operation to prevent a possible attack.

A few days earlier, the Norwegian suspect had been observed photographing and watching the Danish home of the ASMLA leader, police said.

In November 2017, Ahmad Mola Nissi, an Iranian exile who established ASMLA, was shot dead in the Netherlands. The Danish security service then bolstered police protection of the ASMLA leader in Denmark and two associates.

Last month, Iran summoned the envoys of the Netherlands, Denmark, and Britain over a 22 September shooting attack on a military parade in Khuzestan in which 25 people were killed.

Iran accused the three countries of harboring Iranian opposition groups.

Another Arab opposition group, the Ahwaz National Resistance, and the Islamic State militant group both claimed responsibility for the parade attack, though neither has provided conclusive evidence to back up their claim.

Last week, diplomatic and security sources said France had expelled an Iranian diplomat over a failed plot to carry out a bomb attack on a rally in the Paris area by an exiled Iranian opposition group.
The British newspaper Independent in Arabic quotes an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city.