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U.S. Accuses Iranians of Plotting to Kill Saudi Envoy
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Published: October 11, 2011

Federal authorities foiled a plot by men linked to the Iranian government to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States and to bomb the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a news conference on Tuesday.

The men accused of plotting the attacks were Manssor Arbab Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri, according to court documents filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. The Justice Department said men are originally from Iran.

There is “no basis to believe that any other co-conspirators are present in the U.S.,” Mr. Holder said.

He said the men were connected to the secretive Quds Force, a division of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that has carried out operations in other countries. He said that money in support of the plot had been transferred through a bank in New York, but that the men had not yet obtained any explosives.

The Justice Department said in a statement that Mr. Shakuri, a member of the Quds force, remained at large. Mr. Arbabsiar, a naturalized American citizen, was arrested on Sept. 29.

Mr. Holder said the Mexican government had been instrumental in the investigation.

Iran reacted immediately to the news, calling the accusations a fabrication.

Details offered by the Justice Department painted a picture of a dizzying international plot involving Mexican drug cartels, murder for hire and huge sums of money being transferred from unknown locations.

The department said in its criminal complaint that from the spring of this year, Mr. Arbabsiar conspired with Mr. Shakuri to plot the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel A. Al-Jubeir. According to the complaint, conspirators based in Iran were aware of and approved the plan, which involved hiring men connected to a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the killing.

The complaint alleges that those hired by the two men were in fact confidential sources of the Drug Enforcement Agency. They were later asked if they were knowledgeable in bomb-making, the complaint said, Mr. Arbabsiar “was interested in, among other things, attacking an embassy of Saudi Arabia.”

The criminal complaint filed on Tuesday accuses the men of conspiracy to murder a foreign official; conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. specifically explosives; and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism.

ABC News, citing an unnamed official, reported that the plot also included plans to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Washington, as well as those belonging to Saudi Arabia and Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A spokesman for the National Security Council said that the plot had first been brought to President Obama’s attention earlier this year.

“The President was first briefed on this issue in June and directed his Administration to provide all necessary support to this investigation,” he said in a statement. “The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others.”

Abdullah Alshamri, a Saudi official in Riyadh, predicted the disclosure would send Iranian-Saudi relations to “their lowest point yet.” Though no government steps had been taken, he suggested that a diplomatic row was inevitable.

“We’re expecting from our government a serious and tough reaction to give a message to the Iranians that enough is enough,” he said by telephone. “If we keep our diplomatic ties with the Iranians, they will think we are weak and they will keep trying to attack us.”

He said this was only the latest Iranian attempt to attack Saudi diplomats.

“This is their hobby,” he said. “Iran has no respect for international law.”

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'Factions' Of Iran's Government Behind Terrorist Plot, Holder Says

We're following this breaking news as it comes in. Scroll down for updates.

An Iranian-directed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. and possibly attack the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington has been disrupted, Justice Department officials announced this afternoon.

Saying that the alleged "deadly plot ... [was] directed by factions of the Iranian government" and involved an attempt to hire killers from a Mexican drug cartel, Attorney General Eric Holder also said Iran will be held to account.

The criminal complaint "filed today in the Southern District of New York," Justice says, "charges Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Qods Force," in the scheme. Among the charges against them:

    "Conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives); and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries."

Update at 3:15 p.m. ET. On The Iran-Saudi Animosity.

At The Atlantic, Steve Clemons writes that:

    "Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir is not a member of the Saudi royal family, but he is widely considered to be the closest national security adviser and confidante to King Abdullah. ...

    "Secondly, one of the key themes that has frequently emerged here at the Abu Dhabi meetings of the World Economic Forum this week is that a more intense proxy struggle is taking place between Saudi Arabia and Iran throughout the Middle East as the perception of American strategic contraction grows.

    "This alleged assassination plot simultaneously may indicate both the intensity of anti-Saudi passion among Iran's senior leaders and a greater aggressiveness by Iran against the US."

Update at 3:10 p.m. ET. Iranian Government Condemns "False Allegations":

CNN reports being told by a spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that these are "false allegations" and a "child's story" meant to distract Americans from domestic problems.

Update at 3 p.m. ET. One Suspect "Allegedly Confessed."

Justice says in its statement that:

It was Arbabsiar who allegedly tried to hire a member of a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the killing — not realizing that the person he was dealing with was a Drug Enforcement Agency confidential source. Then:

    "On Sept. 29, 2011, Arbabsiar was arrested by federal agents during a flight layover at JFK International Airport in New York. Several hours after his arrest, Arbabsiar was advised of his Miranda rights and he agreed to waive those rights and speak with law enforcement agents. During a series of Mirandized interviews, Arbabsiar allegedly confessed to his participation in the murder plot.

    "According to the complaint, Arbabsiar also admitted to agents that, in connection with this plot, he was recruited, funded and directed by men he understood to be senior officials in Iran's Qods Force. He allegedly said these Iranian officials were aware of and approved of the use of [the confidential source] in connection with the plot; as well as payments to [the confidential source]; the means by which the Ambassador would be killed in the United States and the casualties that would likely result."

Update at 2:45 p.m. ET. More Details In The Allegations:

According to the Justice Department's statement, Arbabsiar "met on a number of occasions in Mexico with a DEA confidential source (CS-1) who has posed as an associate of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. ... According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire CS-1 and CS-1's purported accomplices to murder the Ambassador, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan. ...

"Arbabsiar allegedly discussed bombing a restaurant in the United States that the Ambassador frequented. When CS-1 noted that others could be killed in the attack, including U.S. senators who dine at the restaurant, Arbabsiar allegedly dismissed these concerns as 'no big deal.' "

Update at 2:40 p.m. ET. White House Calls The Disruption A "Significant Achievement."

    "The President was first briefed on this issue in June and directed his Administration to provide all necessary support to this investigation. The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the President is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others." — Tommy Vietor, National Security Council spokesman, in a statement just emailed to reporters.

Update at 2:35 p.m. ET. The Justice Statement.

Click on the title "Alleged Plot" in the box below to pop up a copy of the Justice Department's statement about the allegations.
Alleged Plot

Update at 2:17 p.m. ET. More Details:

The Justice Department has posted a statement about the case here. It says, in part:

    "A criminal complaint filed today in the Southern District of New York charges Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Qods Force, which is a special operations unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is said to sponsor and promote terrorist activities abroad. ...

    "The criminal complaint alleges that, from the spring of 2011 to October 2011, Arbabsiar and his Iran-based co-conspirators, including Shakuri of the Qods Force, have been plotting the murder of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. In furtherance of this conspiracy, Arbabsiar allegedly met on a number of occasions in Mexico with a DEA confidential source (CS-1) who has posed as an associate of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire CS-1 and CS-1's purported accomplices to murder the Ambassador, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan. With Shakuri's approval, Arbabsiar has allegedly caused approximately $100,000 to be wired into a bank account in the United States as a down payment to CS-1 for the anticipated killing of the Ambassador, which was to take place in the United States."

Update at 2:15 p.m. ET. "Directed By Factions Of The Iranian Government," Holder Says:


The attorney general just announced that the court complaint alleges this was a "deadly plot ... directed by factions of the Iranian government."

Authorities say the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is behind the plot, Holder said, and that the scheme was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran." The plan was to have members of the Mexican drug cartel carry out the attacks, authorities say.

Arbabsiar, he added, has been in custody since Sept. 29 and has been providing information about the plot. Shakuri is "at large," Holder said.

Update at 2:05 p.m. ET: MSNBC is among the news outlets streaming the Justice Department news conference. Fox News' webcast is here.

Our original post:

"FBI and DEA agents have disrupted a plot to commit a 'significant terrorist act in the United States' tied to Iran, federal officials told ABC News today."

The network adds that:

    "The officials said the plot included the assassination of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, with a bomb and subsequent bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C."

Reuters reports that:

    "U.S. authorities broke up an alleged plot to bomb the Israeli and Saudi Arabian embassies in Washington and assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, court documents and a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The criminal complaint, unsealed in federal court in New York City, identified the two alleged plotters as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri. Both were originally from Iran and Arbabsiar is a naturalized U.S. citizen, it said."

CNN is reporting the story as well.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials are due to brief reporters in the next few minutes. We'll be updating this post with more information.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/11/141240766/reports-terrorist-plot-tied-to-iran-disrupted

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The Ecstatic said:

Nice try.

The US people will not open the floodgates for another war in the middle east.


Even if the Iranians did do this, so what? We've assassinated and orchestrated coups not only in Iran, but all over the world.  Do all those nations reserve the right to declare war on the United States? Fuck no.

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Champion des Champignons said:

Ties to the Iranian government? What ties? Like the ties that I have with Kevin Bacon type ties?

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Authorities say the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is behind the plot, Holder said, and that the scheme was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran."

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Washington (CNN) -- Outrage toward Iran burned Wednesday over the alleged Iranian scheme to kill Saudi Arabia's U.S. ambassador, with the American vice president, the British prime minister, and a top Saudi prince warning of repercussions.
"The consequences for Iran, I think, will be serious," said Vice President Joe Biden, appearing on CBS. "I think what we have to do is unite the entire world against the Iranian behavior."
Biden said the United States is laying out its case about the plot to world leaders. He told NBC that there must be "accountability for Iran and further isolation of Iran in terms of their ability to operate around the world." Iran is already subject to numerous American sanctions.
"Every nation in the world, when they learn the facts of this, will be outraged that (Iran) would violate such an international norm, in addition to obviously being a crime to assassinate anybody, and in the process probably have killed scores of Americans," the vice president said on NBC.
Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal said he believes "someone in Iran is going to have to pay the price" for the alleged plot to assassinate the kingdom's ambassador to the United States.
Al-Faisal, a key member of the royal family, was speaking at a conference in London on Wednesday. Al-Faisal's representatives said the remark was his personal view and not the official Saudi position. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington has called the plot "a despicable violation of international norms, standards and conventions" and said it "is not in accord with the principles of humanity."
A spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain is consulting with the United States on further action against Iran.
"We are in close touch with the U.S. authorities and we will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions," the spokesman said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior diplomatic officials will place calls to foreign leaders and U.N. Security Council representatives to get tougher on Iran, a senior State Department official said Tuesday.
Friend of terror suspect speaks U.S. busts assassination terror plot Two charged in murder-for-hire plot
That includes reaching out to key figures from countries such as Russia and China, which have diplomatic relations with both Washington and Tehran.
The United States also plans to get in touch with leaders from the Arab League; the Gulf Cooperation Council, a coalition of Persian Gulf nations; and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which consists of 56 mainly Islamic states and promotes Muslim solidarity, said two Obama administration officials.
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will brief U.S. diplomats Wednesday to explain the details of how the scheme evolved, how the Obama administration handled it ,and the need to hold Iran accountable, a State Department official said.
Iranian officials denied the allegations and called them fabrications. Ali Larijani, Iran's speaker of parliament, railed against Washington on Wednesday.
"The Americans acted unprofessionally in their childish play against Iran," he said. "The Americans want to divert attention from their own domestic problems as well as the awakening of the Muslim world by initiating a stupid mischief which apparently is quite complicated."
Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss charge d'affaires to answer questions over the U.S. allegations, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Mehr said the ministry strongly protested the allegations. The Swiss diplomat said he would inform the United States of the complaint. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran because Iran and the United States don't have diplomatic relations.
Secretary Clinton was to meet with the Swiss ambassador to Iran at the State Department on Wednesday.
The State Department issued a worldwide travel alert about "the potential for anti-U.S. actions" after the alleged plot was thwarted.
Details about the case surfaced Tuesday.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of a conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, the FBI said Tuesday.
Arbabsiar was arrested in September. David Tomscha, a friend of Arbabsiar in Corpus Christi, Texas, said the man traveled to Iran once a year and owns property in Iran.
Shakuri remains at large, the bureau said.
The two were in a group that began planning this spring to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir, the FBI said.
Robert Jordan, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said Al-Jubeir "is so close to King Abdullah that I think it does make him a target to some degree. He is almost like a son to the king."
The Saudi ambassador was not the only intended target, U.S. officials said. The suspects also discussed attacking the Israeli and Saudi Embassies in Washington and possibly Buenos Aires, a senior U.S. official said.
It is unclear why the Saudi ambassador was targeted, the official said, or how widespread knowledge or approval of the plot was within Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.
Authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, according to officials and an FBI agent's affidavit released Tuesday.
Arbabsiar and the undercover informant allegedly discussed using explosives to kill the ambassador, possibly in a crowded restaurant, according to the affidavit.
The informant named $1.5 million as his price, it said. Arbabsiar allegedly sent $100,000 intended as a down payment, telling the informant his "cousin" had deep pockets, court documents said.
The alleged scheme involved the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that is suspected of being involved in a number of foreign operations, court documents and U.S. officials said.
U.S. officials accuse the Quds Force of sponsoring attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, the affidavit released Tuesday said. In October 2007, the Treasury Department designated it as "providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations."
Cooperation with the Mexican government played a key role in the investigation, U.S. officials said.

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