Iranian plot foiled to assassinate ambassador to USA

Sykk · 12-10-2011 08:55AM #1

Source

Britain has promised to back US reprisals against Iran after an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington was foiled.

Two Iranian nationals have been charged with offences including conspiracy to murder a foreign official amid claims Iranian government factions were behind the plot.
American officials said the attempt was part of a wider planned bomb attack.
Manssor Arbabsiar, who is in custody in New York, and his alleged co-conspirator Gholam Shakuri, who is said to be in Iran, are believed to have been targeting a restaurant frequented by Saudi ambassador Adel al Jubeir.
Downing Street said Tehran should be "held accountable" after the alleged plot was uncovered by a US agent posing as part of a Mexican drugs cartel, who was enrolled by the suspects to help.

Adel al Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the US, was allegedly targeted
US attorney general Eric Holder told a press conference: "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.
"Through the diligent and co-ordinated efforts of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies, we were able to disrupt this plot before anyone was harmed."
Secretary of state Hillary Clinton said the US was preparing new penalties against Iran, including financial sanctions against individuals.
She said: "This really, in the minds of many diplomats and government officials, crosses a line that Iran needs to be held to account for."

Suspect Manssor Arbabsiar has appeared in court
A Downing Street spokesman said: "We congratulate the US authorities on the successful operation to disrupt a conspiracy to attack diplomats in the United States.
"Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking.
"Directing an attack against another country is a flagrant violation of international law which calls for the strongest condemnation."
Tehran has reportedly dismissed the assassination plot claims, with a spokesman for president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad branding them a "fabrication".
US ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

FBI director Robert Mueller said many lives could have been lost in what is alleged to be "the opening act" of an attack on US soil.
The US State Department has issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning the planned assassination "may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries".
This could include "possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.
Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington described the alleged plot as a "despicable violation" of international conventions.
Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said sanctions against Iran in response "will not placate the hawks in America".
"Down the line, this could be used to make the case for justification (for military action)," he said.

Iran at work again. A clear act of war.

Wouldn't surprise me if it led to an invasion.

Davidth88 · 12-10-2011 09:03AM

No No No

This is a Western plot against Iran don't you know .

In between stealing their rain by doing things to the weather

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8527455/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-says-Europe-stealing-Irans-rain.html

Us evil ones in the west are very busy !!!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 12-10-2011 09:04AM

Well if it's in the papers it must be true. No country has ever used the media to brain wash people.

TO WAR!!!

Smcgie · 12-10-2011 09:07AM

I love the Irish. We never believe this horsesh1t without thinking twice.

We are a great race. Its a shame we have 7million Irish decendants living in the US that swallow all without thinking once.

Sykk · 12-10-2011 09:08AM

Merrick Victorious Minion wrote: »

Well if it's in the papers it must be true. No country has ever used the media to brain wash people.

TO WAR!!!

Well if the head of the FBI, CIA, USA's attorney general and Saudi delegation make press conferences with details on how this was done, I'd assume it's not really more media propaganda.

listermint · 12-10-2011 09:13AM

The group was 'infiltrated' by an agent pretending to be part of a mexican drug cartel.

Infiltrated or goaded on?? These situations are not always as black and white as the US government say they are. They have a dubious history in relation to 'sting' operations. Entrapment.....

spank_inferno · 12-10-2011 09:15AM

Iran has tried to take down the house of Saud before.

Its nothing new, they have hated each other for decades.

Saudi Arabia will probably saber rattle but they will keep their cool.

Donal Og O Baelach · 12-10-2011 09:19AM

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

This was actually two anti-terrorist cells tripping over each other. One was trying to lure potential terrorists into setting up an attack, while the other was posing as terrorists trying to flush genuine terror contacts out of the woodwork.
US is too embarrassed now to admit the error.

Sky King · 12-10-2011 09:20AM

You mean the terror.

danniemcq · 12-10-2011 09:24AM

hahaha every time i see assassinate i think of hot shots

a mission to assasss assassanet assisen kill a guy

Blazer · 12-10-2011 09:24AM

Smcgie wrote: »

I love the Irish. We never believe this horsesh1t without thinking twice.

We are a great race. Its a shame we have 7million Irish decendants living in the US that swallow all without thinking once.

They're probably thinking "look at those 4 million gob****es back in Ireland getting screwed by our government and not lifting a finger to protest"

Biggins · 12-10-2011 09:24AM

listermint wrote: »

The group was 'infiltrated' by an agent pretending to be part of a mexican drug cartel.

Infiltrated or goaded on?? These situations are not always as black and white as the US government say they are. They have a dubious history in relation to 'sting' operations. Entrapment.....

The Times (England) says diffrent.
Part of their report states:

...US investigators became aware of the plot when Manssor Arbabsiar, an Iranian-American with dual citizenship, approached an undercover agent of the US Drug Enforcement Agency in Mexico earlier this year to strike a $1.5 million deal to murder the Saudi Ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir...

There was already an agent in the cartel keeping an eye on them as they do - when this cropped up to their surprise.

Mr Arbabsiar wired payments totalling nearly $100,000 to the cartel as part payment for what was to come at his request.

Leftist · 12-10-2011 09:30AM

Smcgie wrote: »

I love the Irish. We never believe this horsesh1t without thinking twice.

We are a great race. Its a shame we have 7million Irish decendants living in the US that swallow all without thinking once.

What?

Andrew33 · 12-10-2011 09:35AM

Smcgie wrote: »

I love the Irish. We never believe this horsesh1t without thinking twice.

We are a great race. Its a shame we have 7million Irish decendants living in the US that swallow all without thinking once.

I think it's nearer 40 million and a lot of the very senior positions in government would have Irish roots.

This is just another precursor for the U.S to do what it goddamn likes in any goddamn country it wants to repress, bomb back to the stone age, democratise (provided it's a U.S style of democracy:rolleyes:). Yawn.

Leftist · 12-10-2011 09:39AM

Andrew33 wrote: »

I think it's nearer 40 million and a lot of the very senior positions in government would have Irish roots.

This is just another precursor for the U.S to do what it goddamn likes in any goddamn country it wants to repress, bomb back to the stone age, democratise (provided it's a U.S style of democracy:rolleyes:). Yawn.

nah. No it's not.

You can't include children of immigrants who were not born or never lived here.

Biggins · 12-10-2011 09:41AM

Andrew33 wrote: »

I think it's nearer 40 million and a lot of the very senior positions in government would have Irish roots.

This is just another precursor for the U.S to do what it goddamn likes in any goddamn country it wants to repress, bomb back to the stone age, democratise (provided it's a U.S style of democracy:rolleyes:). Yawn.

I agree that America does what it wants to do sometimes - but you know, sometimes what they say does actually turn out to be true also occasionally.

I'm sick of this anti-American hatred. People might have cause sometimes to be skeptical and rightly so - but sometimes what they say is also true. There are some decent people in America and you know what? They occasional tell the truth.

This thinking "it all must be lies" because its an American saying it, is a frankly stupid and bigoted attitude from the get-go.

CardBordWindow · 12-10-2011 09:43AM

Iran has oil!?

LET'S GO GET IT!!

Leftist · 12-10-2011 09:46AM

Biggins wrote: »

I agree that America does what it wants to do sometimes - but you know, sometimes what they say does actually turn out to be true also occasionally.

I'm sick of this anti-American hatred. People might have cause sometimes to be skeptical and rightly so - but sometimes what they say is also true. There are some decent people in America and you know what? They occasional tell the truth.

This thinking "it all must be lies" because its an American saying it, is a frankly stupid and bigoted attitude from the get-go.

To be honest they lost the trust of the international community by falsifying evidence for invading and occupying a middle eastern country less than a decade ago.

People are expected to be sceptical. They only have themselves to blame in that regard.

Haelium · 12-10-2011 09:49AM

Biggins wrote: »

I agree that America does what it wants to do sometimes - but you know, sometimes what they say does actually turn out to be true also occasionally.

I'm sick of this anti-American hatred. People might have cause sometimes to be skeptical and rightly so - but sometimes what they say is also true. There are some decent people in America and you know what? They occasional tell the truth.

This thinking "it all must be lies" because its an American saying it, is a frankly stupid and bigoted attitude from the get-go.

They have lied before you know.
Tokin Gulf.
Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Biggins · 12-10-2011 09:50AM

Leftist wrote: »

To be honest they lost the trust of the international community by falsifying evidence for invading and occupying a middle eastern country less than a decade ago.

People are expected to be sceptical. They only have themselves to blame in that regard.

Very true and I would not argue that point.
There is however a percentage out there that let their clear America hatred come also between the fact that sometimes they might actually be also telling the truth.
...Not they would allow that possibility to enter their tiny heads. They are too busy readying their automatic "down with America" attitude, jibes and/or digs!

RichieC · 12-10-2011 09:54AM

The Gulf of Tonkin incident actually happened too :rolleyes:

let the yanks have their war. it will be their end.

Dirk Gently · 12-10-2011 10:02AM

Biggins wrote: »

Very true and I would not argue that point.
There is however a percentage out there that let their clear America hatred come also between the fact that sometimes they might actually be also telling the truth.
...Not they would allow that possibility to enter their tiny heads. They are too busy readying their automatic "down with America" attitude, jibes and/or digs!

I think scepticism should be the default setting as opposed to blind faith tbh. It's not anti-americanism, it's just acknowledging that they have lied repeatedly in the past to forward an agenda and any statements should not be taken at face value or dismissed out of hand either.

chakotha · 12-10-2011 10:04AM

I don't believe it. This unit calls bullsh1t.

Andrew33 · 12-10-2011 10:17AM

Leftist wrote: »

nah. No it's not.

You can't include children of immigrants who were not born or never lived here.

40 million americans claim Irish ancestors, FACT.
The U.S has cried wolf once too often to be believed now. They ran a story very recently about mysterious "Arabic" markings appearing on Southwest aircraft which only appeared when the planes heated up! It's so they can keep feeding their citizens the BS about terrorists. Land of the brave, home of the free oppressed, what a laugh.

Biggins · 12-10-2011 10:18AM

Dirk Gently wrote: »

I think scepticism should be the default setting as opposed to blind faith tbh. It's not anti-americanism, it's just acknowledging that they have lied repeatedly in the past to forward an agenda and any statements should not be taken at face value or dismissed out of hand either.

One can acknowledge they have lied - but one can also acknowledge they have told the truth as well other times.

In our rush to see American conspiratorial plans, lets not forget we are also talking about another country that is giving a female actor that is getting 90 lashes and a year’s imprisonment for appearing in an Australian film critical of the regime’s hardline policies.
Or a country that allowed a student to be chained to a prison wall in Tehran on Sunday and lashed 74 times with a leather whip for “insulting” President Ahmadinejad.
A country that has a Christian pastor sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his faith.

Then again Iran has had a long history of terrorism since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iranian agents, or the regime’s proxies, have struck at targets across the globe, with American and Israeli interests facing the greatest threat.
In 1980 for example, a car bomb exploded in London killing two people. Kourosh Fouladi, one of the men arrested and jailed for the attack, later became a member of the Iranian parliament.
Three years later, a delivery van packed with explosives crashed into the lobby of the American Embassy in Beirut. The blast obliterated the front of the building, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans and 32 Lebanese staff.
Six months later, 299 American and French servicemen were killed when two truck bombs hit their barracks in the Lebanese capital. Iran was implicated again.
Throughout the 1980s, Iranian agents hijacked airliners and sought to destabilise the Gulf region. The regime was blamed for bomb attacks on the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
Israelis across the world have been targeted. A bomb outside a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires in 1994 killed 85 and injured 230.
Its well known in the intelligence communities that Tehran continues to funnel weapons and finance's to almost any organisation it can.

I don't think its too far a stretch of the imagination then to think this latest stunt by them, is actually true!

Haelium · 12-10-2011 10:23AM

Biggins wrote: »

The US and the UK can be blamed for the problems in Iran, they had a democracy before they intervened.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
If they had remained a democracy, I highly doubt that there would have been an Islamic revolution, or if so, it would not have been so popular.

uncle_sam_ie · 12-10-2011 10:25AM

This is not even good propaganda. Why don't they just hire some good Hollywood writers.

Sykk · 12-10-2011 10:25AM

Andrew33 wrote: »

40 million americans claim Irish ancestors, FACT.
The U.S has cried wolf once too often to be believed now. They ran a story very recently about mysterious "Arabic" markings appearing on Southwest aircraft which only appeared when the planes heated up! It's so they can keep feeding their citizens the BS about terrorists. Land of the brave, home of the free oppressed, what a laugh.

Ok so I suppose bank transfer evidence directly linked to the Iranian authorities isn't enough..

People like you are so anti-American that someone could be caught with a sniper on the roof with a bag full of anthrax and sher "the government planted them there".

Pfff

jonsnow · 12-10-2011 10:31AM

Biggins wrote: »

Its well known in the intelligence communities that Tehran continues to funnel weapons and finance's to almost any organisation it can.

That could equally be said about the Americans who even funnelled weapons to the Iranians in the 80s.The Iranian regime is horrible and noxious but does this pass the smell test.Why would they target a saudi ambassador instead of less secure capitals,why would they use a drug cartel to carry it out instead of their own well trained agents,what would Iran gain from such a brazen action(it wouldn,t be worth the propaganda value to piss off the US so much-see al-queadas demise).The Iranians are very careful and an attack on us soil would be a major major risk post-9/11.This story might be true but I am sceptical.

jonsnow · 12-10-2011 10:34AM

Sykk wrote: »

Well if the head of the FBI, CIA, USA's attorney general and Saudi delegation make press conferences with details on how this was done, I'd assume it's not really more media propaganda.

Or it could just be well orchestrated media propaganda.

Leftist · 12-10-2011 10:35AM

Andrew33 wrote: »

40 million americans claim Irish ancestors, FACT.

Doesn't matter, they're not irish if they are not citizens.

Iranian plot foiled to assassinate ambassador to USA

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