State Department Notes 'Marked Resurgence' in Iran-Sponsored Terror
Iranian-American Manssor Arbabsiar who
admitted to plotting the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to Washington
was sentenced Thursday to 25 years prison. Judge John Keenan of the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of New York said during the sentencing
that Arbabsiar’s role in the plot against the ambassador could not be
“tolerated.”
Arbabsiar, 58, pleaded guilty last October to conspiring with elements of IRGC’s Quds Force to hire assassins from the Mexican drug mafia to kill the Saudi envoy. He said Iranian military officials sent him to Mexico several times in 2011 to arrange an assassination plot.
Prosecutors said he planned to plant a bomb at a Washington DC restaurant, knowing it might cause mass casualties.
Defense lawyers said the crime, although serious, was “entirely aberrational” and brought on by mental illness. It was “the result of a severe mental breakdown caused by a longstanding, untreated bipolar disorder, worsened by the death of his father and his best friend in the same year,” defense lawyers said. They had asked for a maximum sentence of 10 years, saying the defendant had no other ties to terror networks.
In Mexico, Arbabsiar met a US government agent posing as a member of a violent Mexican drug cartel, later sending $100,000 to the undercover agent as an initial payment for the murder, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, the State Department noted “marked resurgence” in Iran-sponsored terror. In its annual report on terrorism released on Thursday, the State Department named IRGC’s Quds Force and Iran’s ministry of intelligence and their ally Hezbollah as behind the resurgence.
“Iran and Hezbollah’s terrorist activity has reached a tempo unseen since the 1990s, with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa,” the report said. The report noted suspected plots in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Thailand, Georgia, Kenya and India in 2012.
Image: Artist rendering of Mr. Arbabsiar at the court (Reuters)
Arbabsiar, 58, pleaded guilty last October to conspiring with elements of IRGC’s Quds Force to hire assassins from the Mexican drug mafia to kill the Saudi envoy. He said Iranian military officials sent him to Mexico several times in 2011 to arrange an assassination plot.
Prosecutors said he planned to plant a bomb at a Washington DC restaurant, knowing it might cause mass casualties.
Defense lawyers said the crime, although serious, was “entirely aberrational” and brought on by mental illness. It was “the result of a severe mental breakdown caused by a longstanding, untreated bipolar disorder, worsened by the death of his father and his best friend in the same year,” defense lawyers said. They had asked for a maximum sentence of 10 years, saying the defendant had no other ties to terror networks.
In Mexico, Arbabsiar met a US government agent posing as a member of a violent Mexican drug cartel, later sending $100,000 to the undercover agent as an initial payment for the murder, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, the State Department noted “marked resurgence” in Iran-sponsored terror. In its annual report on terrorism released on Thursday, the State Department named IRGC’s Quds Force and Iran’s ministry of intelligence and their ally Hezbollah as behind the resurgence.
“Iran and Hezbollah’s terrorist activity has reached a tempo unseen since the 1990s, with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa,” the report said. The report noted suspected plots in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Thailand, Georgia, Kenya and India in 2012.
Image: Artist rendering of Mr. Arbabsiar at the court (Reuters)
20 comments:
I think the phrase "Sick joke" is most appropriate.This whole story is so unspeakably bad that it wouldnt be used as the plot of a tom clancy novel.To put this in perspective this is about as likely as the cia hiring chinese people smugglers to assassinate the north korean ambassador to china in his favorite beijing sushi bar,its that level of stupid so sadly a lot of americans will probably believe it
Another FBI sting in the SICK US police state where unarmed people are murdered during "interrogation" and fake charges laid for political ends. US is rotting to the core and destroying even basic human rights or legal due process. This poor patsy had no clue or chance. Very sad and this should be a warning to all Iranians and minorities about the evil nature of US police state entrapment. Muslims are now number one target.
Arabsiar could be suffering from bipolar disorder as the defense claim, and he should be checked and rechecked again to make sure he is not suffering from it. People with that type of disorder could be manipulated by terrorist ringleaders to commit their dirty works for them, as could be the case here.
On State Department’s report. Specific terrorist attacks happened in 2012 in Bulgaria, India, Georgia, Thailand and Cyprus. No fiction here. People lost their lives because of those attacks. Someone must be behind each of those attacks; the victims did not commit suicide. State is saying the Hezbollah operative on behest of Iran’s Quds Force were behind those five attacks. Are there any reasons you have disputing the claim? Are the QF/Hezbollah capable of masterminding such attacks? Does their history suggest as such? Or do you think that attacks never happened?
As someone who understands Law, I must admit the American justice system has always been a tool to implement politics rather than justice.
Its ridiculous verdicts with regards to everything and everyone that is not in the sphere of US foreign or other policies, is of Draconian fines and other injustices.
Furthermore, the setting up of people by their own agents and then convicting them seems more a mean to justify their own departments budgets than hunting terrorists. Unfortunately at the cost of citizens. (don't come up with confessions, because we all know how confessions are made in America).
I mention a case I was personally involved in where a woman of Iranian origin (age almost 60) was arrested and kept for 90 days because of a bottle of "sekanjebin". She had also confessed to bla bla bla , but friends managed to have her out on bail and taken to Canada, where she managed to clear the issue. She was asked not to mention any pressures for the confession for all charges to be dropped. She is now safe and sound back in the UK.
Azari by fortune and Iranian by grace of God
Dariush London
The biggest victims of terrorism by the Islamist regime are the Iranian people themselves.
as someone who understands Dariush, I must admit that he's always being a tool.
What the ..... are you talking about anon 9:34 AM / get some ..... sleep and stop farting with your mouth.
Nader Uskowi May 31, 2013 at 5:21 AM
Oh well if the state department says it it must be true[rolls eyes]
I dont know how credible the other attacks claims were but the story behind the saudi ambassador assassination plot is ridiculous you would literally have to be brain dead to believe it.The iranians have a formidable intelligence apparatus,the idea that they would use bipolar ex car salesmen to recruit mexican drug gangs to carry out an assination is just stupid,I think that is really all that needs to be said on the issue
That's not what I said. The State has accused QF/Hezbollah in the eight attacks that took place in 2010, hence adding that they see a surge in terrorist activities of those organizations not seen since 1990s. I asked if you believe that's not true? I asked is in your opinion those two organizations could have undertaken those actions. And I said one thing was clear, those terrorist attacks did happen, and people got killed. If you have not read about them, I can refer you to news sources on them.
So let's ask the question straightforward: Do you believe that the Quds Force and Hezbollah could have potentially been behind some or all of those eight attacks, like the attack on the bus carrying Israelis in Bulgaria? Or do you believe other organizations were behind the acts? Or the acts did not happen at all?
Sorry, I meant attacks that took place in 2012.
Naturally, this "sekanjebin" story is a complete and utter concoction.
As the accuser the burden of proof is on them,and frankly considering the past history of the accuser the standard of proof would have to be exceptional to put it mildly,altho` considering the acts of terror perpetrated against iran iran would be well justified in retaliating tho` I think if they did they would not be using bipolar ex car salesmen or mexican drug cartels to do the job.If hizballah or the quds force carried out some of these attacks it shows a poor degree of ability and for that reason I doubt it,certainly the one in bulgaria sounds more like jihadis,what would iran have to gain from blowing up some tourists its like the attack in argentina in the 90s,iran had nothing to gain and everything to loose.The whole thing smells like just another part of the cold war being waged between iran and its allies and the west and its "allies"
This is a blog, not a court of law. I don't expect you to render legal opinion on State's accessions. Question was political, asking you to give us your opinion as an Iran watcher. Could those organization really be involved in terror outside Iran and Lebanon? Haven't they done those acts before? Are they really going back to 1990's? Honestly, I want your opinion. If you have no opinion he subject on t, that's understandable, no worries. Thanks anyway.
this "sekanjebin" story is a complete and utter concoction.
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no sane person would accuse Dairy of telling the truth.
The question is not whether it is possible as almost anything is possible,its possible that north korea will nuke america tomorrow,but is it likely?,that is the real question,how likely are these plots to have been the work of iranian intelligence or hizballah?,I think the answer here is not very,what would they have to gain? especially in the "assassination" plot,likewise the bulgarian one makes no more sense,as for my "legal opinion",if you are going to go around making accusations then it doesnt really matter if you`re a nation state or an ordinary person you better have some credible proof to back it up with,and when one considers that the us has cried wolf on more than one occasion[khobar towers,saddams wmd]it would be irresponsible to not demand evidence otherwise its a case of having to "prove" ones innocence,rather like iran is having to do with its nuclear program,but then again perhaps your ok with guilty until proven innocent in the case of iran
huhuuu
the sekanjebin affair in Chicago lol
I remember was in 2011 . I think we know each other Mr Dariush London.
From the article: "In Mexico, Arbabsiar met a US government agent posing as a member of a violent Mexican drug cartel, later sending $100,000 to the undercover agent as an initial payment for the murder, prosecutors said."
A familiar pattern used by American authorities in so-called terrorism plot cases which turn out to be manufactured cases. Entrapment, set ups where there never was a genuine plot: only fake plots suggested by government agent provocateurs to an innocent person and they are coerced and cajoled until they finally go along with it. The authorities even provide fake supplies for the plots, to convince the innocent person. Consider the 2009 Bronx terrorism plot. The car bombs and surface-to-air missiles involved, were actually fakes given to the plotters with the help of an informant for the FBI.
Usually, the innocent person is a muslim and then the authorities say "we stopped a muslim, terrorist plot". It's a con trick against the public to perpetuate a police state, the war against muslims and provide excuses for waging wars against America and Israel's enemies.
In other words, this is yet another case of entrapment. The American government used an agent to create a fake plot where none really existed.
it is the same story in Kenya where the two Iranian business men are serving a life prison term-
@the two men entered the east African Nation without dangerous materials,cleared at the airport and allowed t conduct their business freely.
@Nairobi Kenya's capital is the economic hub of east and central Africa and a bee hive of activity,with Asians,Americans,Europeans ,Chinese and all cutting deals on precious metals from Congo and other underworld activities!.
@The Iranians attend a golf course in Mombasa[Kenya's coastal]evidently innocent like other foreigners and locals!.
@Then someone calls the police and point to the two men standing,watching!.
@the Police discover some dangerous materials hidden,half buried near the two men!.
@The witness accuse the two Iranians of burring the polythene bag at the same location
@police detain the two men!
@the stuff is later discovered to be some dangerous unique bomb material enough to bring down a skyscraper!.
@the prosecutor hails the police for averting a terrorist attack to the Nation.
@ the Judge in issuing the judgement hails the police for apprehending the dangerous Iranians and saving the Nation from 'these heartless Iranians!!!!.'
and the whole saga is awash with the smell of politics and machinations of foreign hands!.
Nader, just because people have the potential to do something that does not automatically mean that they did or should be considered as a suspect. Using that logic, we would have to suspect almost everyone in the whole world, except those who are physically or mentally incapable. Such an attitude would have no end. You might as well accuse the American government of committing those attacks. Or, the Irish Defence Forces. People are robbed on streets all the time, around the world. According to your logic, we could accuse aipac members of doing that. We could suspect McDonalds company staff of killing JFK or keeping Elvis alive, in secret. As you asked, could they have potentially been behind some or all of those?
As was already mentioned, the burden of proof is on the accuser and that is not exactly overwhelming. Considering their history of false flag attacks for their own benefit like Operation Susannah/the Lavon Affair and the attack on the USS Liberty, accusers are not exactly credible. It would not be surprising if the israel occupation forces were responsible for those attacks that you mentioned.
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