Demonstrators hold posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader and Iranian flags during a rally (File Image)
Photo : AP
An alleged plot by Iran to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to Mexico was thwarted, reported AP.
According to AP report, Mexican authorities with assistance from the United States and Israeli agencies thwarted the alleged assassination plan, US and Israeli officials said. However, Mexican authorities have denied any knowledge of such a plot.
According to US officials, the plot to kill Ambassador Einat Kranz Neiger is alleged to have been hatched at the end of last year and remained active through the middle of this year, when it was disrupted.
The official said that due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence, said the plot was “contained” and does not pose a current threat. However, they did not offer any detail regarding how the plot was discovered and thwarted.
According to intelligence documents from one of the US officials, an officer in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps named Hasan Izadi, who also goes by the name Masood Rahnema, initiated the plot along with other Iranian officials while serving as an aide to Iran’s ambassador to Venezuela.
“We thank the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israel’s ambassador in Mexico,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The Israeli security and intelligence community will continue to work tirelessly, in full cooperation with security and intelligence agencies around the world, to thwart terrorist threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide.”
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it had no comment, reported AP.
What Mexico Said?
However, Mexico’s foreign relations and security ministries said in a joint statement that “they have no report with respect to a supposed attempt against the ambassador of Israel in Mexico.”
The foreign ministry “reiterates its willingness to maintain fluid communication with all accredited diplomatic representations in our country,” the statement said.
The security ministry “reaffirms its respectful and coordinated collaboration, always within the framework of national sovereignty, with all security agencies that request it.”
US Skips Reaction On Mexico’s Statement
The US State Department is yet to offer an explanation regarding Mexico’s statement. “Iran’s international abhorrent plots, aimed at its own citizens, Americans, and citizens of other nations are inconsistent with the behavior of a civilized state,” it said in a statement.
“The United States is working with likeminded governments to share best practices and threat information, raise awareness about the issue of Iran’s lethal plots, work together to counter these threats, and hold perpetrators accountable,” the department said.
(With AP Inputs)