Canada Thwarts Iranian Government's Plot to Assassinate Jewish Lawyer

The Canadian newspaper 'Globe and Mail' reported on Monday, November 19, that the Canadian government has thwarted a plot by the Islamic Republic to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a prominent Jewish lawyer and former Minister of Justice who has also served as Attorney General of the country. The report, citing a source, added that Mr. Cotler was informed in late October that he would face an imminent assassination threat from Iranian government agents within 48 hours. The source, referring to the tracking of two potential suspects in this terrorist act, expressed ignorance about their arrest or escape from Canada. According to this source, last week it was communicated to the prominent Jewish lawyer that the likelihood of the assassination threat had significantly decreased. Irwin Cotler specializes in issues such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion, minority rights, peace law, and justice for war crimes, and has close ties with Israel. Since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, he has been under round-the-clock protection by the Canadian police. The 'Globe and Mail' report noted that Mr. Cotler has drawn the ire of the Iranian government since 2008 due to his efforts to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the list of terrorist organizations. According to the report, these threats may be linked to the Islamic Republic's plot to kidnap and assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist residing in New York, and that the FBI has informed Mr. Cotler that his name has appeared in investigations related to this Islamic Republic plot. This news comes as the U.S. Department of Justice released details on Friday regarding an indictment related to thwarting an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, prior to the presidential election. The Islamic Republic's efforts to assassinate its political opponents abroad, including former Trump administration officials, have a history. Reuters reported in mid-October that the Islamic Republic has been involved in at least 33 assassination or kidnapping attempts in Europe and the U.S. since 2020.