New York: Two Iranians, accused of plotting to kill the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, have been charged in the United States, American officials said.
A federal criminal complaint in New York has said that the two were charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The complaint said that the ambassador was in Washington when the death conspiracy was supposed to occur.
The suspects were identified as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri.
Arbabsiar is a 56-year-old naturalized US citizen holding both Iranian and US passports and Gholam Shakuri is an Iran-based member of Iran’s Quds Force, the Justice Department said.
Shakuri remains at large. Arbabsiar was arrested on September 29 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. He faces a maximum potential sentence of life in prison if convicted of all the charges.
“The criminal complaint unsealed today exposes a deadly plot directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign ambassador on US soil with explosives,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.
“Through the diligent and coordinated efforts of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies, we were able to disrupt this plot before anyone was harmed. We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously and bring those who have violated any laws to justice.”
Holder said the plot was “conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran.”
News reports said the plot also included a bomb and subsequent bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington.
The case, called Operation Red Coalition, began in May when an Iranian-American from Corpus Christi, Texas, approached a US informant seeking the help of a Mexican drug cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, according to Israelcounter-terrorism officials.
The Iranian-American thought he was dealing with a member of a Mexican drug organization, according to documents.
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