Azerbaijan Accuses Hizbullah, Iran of Plotting Attack on Israeli Embassy

naharnet
Beirut, 31 May 09, 09:37

Azerbaijan has accused Hizbullah and Iran of planning to bomb the
Israeli Embassy in the capital Baku to avenge the 2008 assassination
of top military leader Imad Mughniyeh, the pan-Arab daily asharq
al-Awsat reported Sunday.
The accusation coincided with the start of a closed-trial of four
Lebanese and four Azeri nationals who were arrested last year on
charges related to terrorism, espionage and other crimes, the paper
said.

Authorities said the eight were arrested beginning of May 2008 after
intercepting calls between "local armed men and two members of
Hizbullah." They said police also arrested two suspected Hizbullah
members following a car chase and confiscated explosives, binoculars,
cameras and silencers.

The two men were identified as Ali Karaki "an expert in Hizbullah’s
overseas operations unit" and Ali Najmeldine who is described as "an
expert in explosives."

According to investigations, the two Lebanese men arrived in Baku from
Tehran at the beginning of 2008 using Iranian passports, according to
asharq al-Awsat. They stayed in five star hotels and created a cell
for the purpose of carrying out the embassy attack.

It said the cell "monitored the Israeli Embassy which is located in
al-Hayat Tower complex next to the Thai and Japanese embassies. The
plan was to set an explosion in the surveillance tower by radar. The
suspects were also planning to "place three to four bomb-laden cars
around the embassy. The bombs were to be set off by a timer."

According to anti-terrorism officials, top officials in the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards appeared to be involved in the plan. Karaki said
a Revolutionary Guard members under the name of Fadli was his source
in Iran.  

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress