Murder for Money; Reuters Report on the Role of Iran's Proxy Groups in the War with Israel in the West

The Reuters news agency has published an investigative report on the role of Iran's proxy groups in the war with Israel in Western countries, detailing various examples of the Iranian government's collaboration with professional criminal gangs for the assassination, threat, and abduction of Tehran's opponents. This article reviews sections of the report published by Reuters. With the intensification of the conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, Tehran is attempting to create insecurity by launching a wave of attacks and kidnappings in European countries and the United States. Washington and its allies are aware of the significant increase in such plots linked to the Islamic Republic. Reuters, in examining court documents and public statements from government officials, found that since 2020, at least 33 assassination or kidnapping plots have been carried out in the West, which local and Israeli officials attribute to the Islamic Republic. One of these plots involved an attack on a building in Athens, Greece, which houses a Jewish center and a kosher restaurant. Syed Fakhar Abbas, a Pakistani national residing in Iran, instructed an old acquaintance living in Greece to attack this building. Abbas told this individual that he was working with a group that pays 15,000 euros for each murder. Investigations into communications on the WhatsApp messaging platform show that they discussed using explosives or setting the building on fire in early 2023. Abbas asked this individual to provide sufficient evidence to prove the number of casualties to avoid issues when receiving payment. Without mentioning which group or organization he was working with, he wanted the operation to be carried out in a way that would satisfy the employer. Police investigations, which include hundreds of pages of documents, exchanged messages, statements from security officials, and witness testimonies, show how Abbas has been trying for a long time to recruit Syed Irteza Haider, his fellow Pakistani, to design and carry out the attack in Athens. Greek authorities arrested Haider and another Pakistani last year, stating that they intended to cause 'human damage' through operations in Athens while being connected to a terrorist network outside the country. These two individuals face terrorism-related charges in Greece but claim they are innocent. Haider, who was released this spring with restrictions from temporary detention, says he did nothing wrong. He told Reuters that he sent images of the building to Abbas but did not take any action and only hoped to receive payment without harming others. Haider's lawyer also stated that he 'never significantly' participated in illegal activities and did not take any practical action. The other accused Pakistani did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. Abbas, the operation's commander, faces terrorism-related charges and is also wanted in Pakistan on suspicion of murder, but there is no information on his whereabouts. Greek police declined to comment, and the case is awaiting a decision from judicial authorities for trial. The 'Mossad,' Israel's intelligence service, which assisted in the investigations in Greece, claims that this operation was planned by the Islamic Republic and is part of a multinational assassination network led by the Iranian government. The Israeli government has refrained from commenting on this case or other activities of Mossad. Although Tehran denies the Mossad's claims, the operational methods of this plot align with patterns seen in other plots attributed to the Islamic Republic. This operation was supposed to be carried out by non-Iranian assassins who were hired for this purpose, targeting Israeli or Jewish civilians. Reuters has managed to track at least two other similar cases apparently involving Pakistani nationals. Other attributed plots to the Islamic Republic include senior American officials, Iranian journalists, and critics of the Iranian government abroad. The campaign of Donald Trump, the former President of the United States and Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election, recently stated that U.S. intelligence agencies provided them with information about 'real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him.' Tehran publicly denies involvement in some alleged plots in the U.S. A shadow war is also ongoing in Europe, where most of the alleged plots reported by Reuters have been recorded. Bert Holmgren, the acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, a U.S. intelligence coordinating agency, states that since 2020, the Islamic Republic has significantly escalated deadly plots against former U.S. officials, Iranian opponents, Jews, and Israeli targets inside and outside the U.S. Tehran also accuses its rivals of terrorist actions, citing the killing of senior members of its security forces by Israel and the U.S. The Iranian representation at the United Nations in New York told Reuters that Tehran has 'no intention or plan to participate in assassination or kidnapping operations in the West or any country.' This representation further adds that such claims are 'fabricated' and aimed at 'diverting attention from the crimes of the Israeli regime in Gaza.' Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel over the years. Tehran has been accused by the U.S. and Western politicians of 'anti-Semitism.' The Islamic Republic claims to respect Judaism but opposes Israel. The increase in plots attributed to the Islamic Republic in the West comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. Recently, in response to Israeli air and ground attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, which killed Hassan Nasrallah, the group's leader, and several other senior leaders, Tehran launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel has also announced that it thwarted plans to assassinate prominent figures in the country supported by the Islamic Republic. The hired assassins' report from Reuters on the Islamic Republic's plots includes incidents that are claimed or identified as being organized by the Iranian government, carried out by it, or directed through someone in Iran or closely related to Tehran. The cases mentioned in this report are likely far fewer than the actual number, as they only include those officially linked to the Islamic Republic. Matthew Levitt, director of the counterterrorism program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, states that some governments are cautious about publicly accusing the Islamic Republic of these plots due to diplomatic considerations. David Barnea, the head of Mossad, said last year that the Israeli intelligence organization collaborated with its international partners to counter 27 groups attempting to carry out attacks outside the country that year. According to him, these attacks against Jews or Israelis were 'organized, designed, and executed' by the Islamic Republic. Israel has refrained from providing details about these plans. One key trend among the alleged plots examined by Reuters is the use of hired assassins, including members of criminal groups and gangs. Washington and its allies say this outsourcing is an attempt to conceal the connection of operations to the Islamic Republic. Last December, a court in Germany sentenced an Iranian-German man to two years and nine months in prison for planning to set fire to a synagogue on behalf of the Islamic Republic. After assessing the security conditions around this synagogue in the city of Bochum, he threw a Molotov cocktail at the building. This Iranian-German man confessed to his crime in the regional high court in Düsseldorf. Investigations revealed that, similar to the Athens case, he was hired by someone in Iran to attack the synagogue, who is under investigation in Germany for two unrelated murder cases. Court documents state that this man residing in Iran receives orders from 'Iranian government organizations,' but Tehran considers this claim 'baseless.' In the U.S., since 2020, at least five cases of assassination or kidnapping related to the Islamic Republic have been filed by prosecutors. Recently, U.S. prosecutors charged a Pakistani man, who they say had close ties to the Islamic Republic, in connection with a thwarted attempt to assassinate an American politician or government official. This operation was a response to the killing of Qassem Soleimani, one of the most prominent military commanders of the Islamic Republic, by the U.S. in January 2020. Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, and Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election, were potential targets of this suspect. However, according to an informed source, as previously reported by Reuters, this plot is not believed to be a conspiracy to assassinate Donald Trump. Court documents state that the suspect, named Asif Merchant, entered the U.S. from Pakistan in July after residing in Iran to hire an assassin for this plot. Asif was arrested last month on charges of attempting terrorism and paying for murder. He claims he is innocent, and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. After the killing of Qassem Soleimani, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated that a severe revenge awaited the 'criminals.' However, the Iranian representation at the United Nations told Reuters that Tehran's policy is to legally pursue those responsible for the 'assassination' of Qassem Soleimani. Another deadly operation involved another assassination plot using hired assassins in the U.S., targeting Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and critic of the Islamic Republic. U.S. prosecutors claim that members of an Eastern European criminal group attempted to assassinate Masih Alinejad at the direction of an individual in Iran. Apparently, a citizen of Azerbaijan residing in the U.S. received orders from this individual residing in Iran, along with $30,000. Khalid Mahdiyev, a citizen of Azerbaijan, prosecutors say this man went to Masih Alinejad's home in Brooklyn, New York, with an assault rifle 'AK-47.' This Iranian-American journalist told Reuters that she was shocked when U.S. officials informed her that an armed man had come to her home. Alinejad, a staunch critic of the Islamic Republic's mandatory dress laws for women, had previously been the target of a kidnapping plot by the Iranian government that was thwarted. Tehran denies this accusation. Alinejad, 48, says she was forced to leave her home and spent some time living in temporary safe houses. She adds that in recent years, she has had to relocate under the protection of American agents nearly 20 times, and for an extended period, she and her husband were separated from their adopted child. Alinejad says of Iranian opponents residing in the U.S.: 'We no longer feel safe.' U.S. prosecutors have charged three men in connection with the planning of this assassination plot. Khalid Mahdiyev, a citizen of Azerbaijan, was identified as the fourth person in this plot in an indictment filed last month. The U.S. Department of Justice did not comment on this case, and Mahdiyev's lawyer also did not respond to Reuters' request. The other two defendants plead not guilty, and the third, who was arrested by Czech authorities last year, faces charges of aiding murder and other crimes in his home country of Georgia. Matthew Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, states that Tehran has failed to cover its tracks in its wave of plots on U.S. soil. Olsen said in an interview: 'We have been able to identify malicious actors who are part of these proxy groups in several of these cases, but we are also exposing their direct connections to the Iranian regime.' Mohammad Reza Ansari is among the Iranian officials identified by Washington as responsible for planning attacks. The U.S. states that he is part of a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps focused on 'deadly operations' in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world. According to Washington, Ansari, with the help of another Iranian named Shahram Pour-Safi, attempted to assassinate two former senior U.S. officials in late 2021. U.S. prosecutors have charged Pour-Safi, whom they say is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with conspiracy to murder John Bolton, the former U.S. National Security Advisor. Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, identified himself as the second target in his book. Bolton stated in an interview that he believes he will remain one of the Islamic Republic's targets. He added: 'I think this is the most unprecedented campaign of assassination attempts against American officials and former officials in our history.' Tehran has called these accusations 'ridiculous and baseless.' Pour-Safi remains free. He, Ansari, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did not respond to requests for comment.