Belgium Extends Detention of Iranian Diplomat Suspected of Planning Attack in Paris

A Belgian court has extended the detention of an Iranian diplomat accused of plotting an attack on the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) conference in France. The NCRI conference was held on July 9 in the suburbs of Paris, and French officials announced that a plan for an attack on the conference had been thwarted. This incident led to the arrest of several Iranians, including a diplomat linked to the Iranian embassy in Austria. The Belgian federal prosecutor announced on Wednesday, October 24, that a court in Antwerp, northern Belgium, had extended the detention of the main suspect in this plot, identified as Assadollah A. (Asadi), for another month. The diplomat is accused of providing an explosive substance weighing half a kilogram to a couple residing in Belgium to target the conference. European officials identified this couple as Amir S. and Nasimeh N., but the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) stated that their full names are Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Nomani. The MEK, a key member of the NCRI, claims that 25,000 opponents of the Iranian government attended this conference. According to the organization, Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Nomani posed as supporters of the MEK. Tehran denies any involvement in this plot and has called for the immediate release of this diplomat. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials stated that this incident was a 'scenario and conspiracy to undermine the good and expanding relations between Iran and Europe.' Iranian media have also published photos of the arrested couple at various MEK gatherings alongside some senior members of the organization, emphasizing that they themselves are members of the MEK. In related news, France has frozen assets belonging to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, and Iran has demanded the immediate release of its detained diplomat. The U.S. has supported Paris's actions against Iranian intelligence individuals and entities in France. Germany has handed over the detained Iranian diplomat to Belgium, and Macron stated that it is unclear which part of the Iranian government was behind the Paris attack.