[quote]Authorities foiled a plot that was directed by factions of the Iranian government to bomb the Israeli and Saudi Arabian embassies in Washington and a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday at a press conference.
A criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in New York Tuesday naming Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri as the two alleged plotters, both with ties to Iran. Arbabsiar has been jailed in New York since September and Shakuri remains at large.
Related Video
Terror Plot Targeting U.S. Foiled
Plot involves plan to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington D.C.
The complaint alleges that Iran helped conceive, sponsor and direct the plot. Holder called the alleged plot a "flagrant violation of U.S. and international law" and said the U.S. will hold Iran accountable.
If the allegations in the 21-page complaint may further isolate Iran, which has a track record of supporting international terrorism.
A spokesman for the Iran mission to the U.N. categorically rejects the “baseless allegations” of the assassination plot, Reuters reported. Israel, meanwhile, referred inquiries to the FBI. And Saudi Arabia called the alleged plot a "despicable violation of international norms."
Last spring, Arbabsiar met a number of times with a DEA source in Mexico posing as a member of a sophisticated international drug-trafficking cartel, the complaint alleges. It was during these meetings that Arbabsiar allegedly offered the agent money to assassinate the ambassador. Arbabsiar allegedly wired $100,000 into a U.S. bank account in August as a down payment for the hit.
Shakuri, a member of Iran’s Qods Force, a special operations unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, allegedly approved the money transfer.
The two planned to use an explosive device to assassinate the ambassador outside a restaurant in Washington that the ambassador frequented, according to the criminal complaint. When the source warned that other people will be inside the restaurant, Arbabsiar allegedly said, "They want that guy (the ambassador) done, if the hundred go with him, f--- 'em."
The alleged plot would have maimed others and damaged nearby structures in the surrounding area.
Arbabsiar allegedly confessed to his participation in the alleged plot. Shakuri is believed to be in Iran.
Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen who holds an Iranian passport, was arrested on Sept. 28 at New York's JFK Airport, after a flight from Mexico. He was read the Miranda rights, but allegedly waived his rights and spoke with law enforcement.
He allegedly admitted his connection with the plot and was recruited and funded by men he understood were senior officials in the Qods.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that the complaints are well-founded and the alleged plot "crosses a line."
She told The Associated Press that, "the idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?"
Before Tuesday's announcement, Interpol -- the international police organization -- issued an alert obtained exclusively by Fox News that warned of plans to assassinate an ambassador in the U.S.
Holder said the U.S. government would be taking unspecified action against the Iranian government as early as Tuesday afternoon. Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation.
The two are charged with conspiracy to kill a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism and other charges.
"This is not a trip wire for military action in Iran," a senior defense official said.
Read more: [url]http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/11/iranians-charged-over-terror-plot-in-us/#ixzz1aVfwJGkT[/url][/quote]
Thanks to: [URL="http://www.facepunch.com/members/391764-Craig-Willmore"]Craig Willmore[/URL] for more sources.
[quote]US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran"
The US says it has broken up a major terror plot in which agents linked to Iran sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Two men originally from Iran - one a naturalised US citizen - have been charged with counts of conspiracy, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
The plot was "conceived" in Iran by the Quds force, part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, he added.
The state department has listed Iran as a "state sponsor" of terror since 1984.
Mr Holder described the $1.5m (£960,000) assassination plot as being "conceived, sponsored and directed by Iran", and said Tehran would be held accountable for its alleged involvement.
'Drug cartel informant'
Top Iranian officials were responsible for the plans, Mr Holder said.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Though it reads like the pages of a Hollywood script, the impact would have been very real and many lives would have been lost”
Robert Mueller
FBI Director
Iran has denied involvement with the plot, and the official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a "propaganda campaign" by the US government against Tehran.
The Press attache at Iran's mission to the United Nations said the allegations were "totally baseless".
The two men linked to the alleged plot were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force.
Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested in John F Kennedy airport in New York on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said. Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran.
On 24 May 2011 Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, under the impression that he was an operative of a Mexican drugs cartel.
Over a series of meetings, details emerged of a conspiracy that involved members of the Iranian government to pay $1.5m for the assassination of Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil.
The plot would have been carried out with the use of explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger.
Mr Holder said the plans led Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, to wire $100,000 to a US bank account as a downpayment for the assassination.
They have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges over alleged plans to kill the Saudi ambassador.
President Barack Obama was informed of the alleged plot in June 2011 and has since been kept up to date with developments.
The disruption of the alleged plot is the result of significant co-operation with Mexican authorities
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the president had "directed his administration to provide all necessary support to this investigation".
"The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the President is enormously grateful for their exceptional work," Mr Vietor added.
Mr Holder said the alleged conspiracy amounted to a "flagrant violation of US and international law" and breaches international conventions that protect diplomats from harm.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters: "Though it reads like the pages of a Hollywood script, the impact would have been very real and many lives would have been lost."
The treasury department later announced sanctions against five people - including Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri - whom it linked to the alleged plot.
Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said the financial transactions involved "lay bare the risk that banks and other institutions face in doing business with Iran".
Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court later on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail.
He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.
Criminal charges were brought in the southern district of New York because the alleged $100,000 downpayment was wired through a bank in the area, officials said earlier.[/quote]
[URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15266992"]BBC[/URL]
Stop it Craig Willmore :P
[URL="http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2011/two-men-charged-in-alleged-plot-to-assassinate-saudi-arabian-ambassador-to-the-united-states"]FBI Press Release[/URL]
[quote]
WASHINGTON—Two individuals have been charged in New York for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.
The charges were announced by Attorney General Eric Holder; FBI Director Robert S. Mueller; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
A criminal complaint filed today in the Southern District of New York charges Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran’s Qods Force, which is a special operations unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is said to sponsor and promote terrorist activities abroad.
Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official; conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives); and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries. Arbabsiar is further charged with an additional count of foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.
Shakuri remains at large. Arbabsiar was arrested on Sept. 29, 2011, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and will make his initial appearance today before in federal court in Manhattan. 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 U.S. soil with explosives,” said Attorney General 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.”
“The investigation leading to today’s charges illustrates both the challenges and complexities of the international threat environment, and our increased ability today to bring together the intelligence and law enforcement resources necessary to better identify and disrupt those threats, regardless of their origin,” said FBI Director Mueller.
“The disruption of this plot is a significant milestone that stems from months of hard work by our law enforcement and intelligence professionals,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today’s case.”
“As alleged, these defendants were part of a well-funded and pernicious plot that had, as its first priority, the assassination of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, without care or concern for the mass casualties that would result from their planned attack,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “Today’s charges should make crystal clear that we will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground.”
The Alleged Plot
The criminal complaint alleges that, from the spring of 2011 to October 2011, Arbabsiar and his Iran-based co-conspirators, including Shakuri of the Qods Force, have been plotting the murder of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. In furtherance of this conspiracy, Arbabsiar allegedly met on a number of occasions in Mexico with a DEA confidential source (CS-1) who has posed as an associate of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire CS-1 and CS-1’s purported accomplices to murder the Ambassador, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan. With Shakuri’s approval, Arbabsiar has allegedly caused approximately $100,000 to be wired into a bank account in the United States as a down payment to CS-1 for the anticipated killing of the Ambassador, which was to take place in the United States.
According to the criminal complaint, the IRCG is an arm of the Iranian military that is composed of a number of branches, one of which is the Qods Force. The Qods Force conducts sensitive covert operations abroad, including terrorist attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to sponsor attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq. In October 2007, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Qods Force for providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations.
The complaint alleges that Arbabsiar met with CS-1 in Mexico on May 24, 2011, where Arbabsiar inquired as to CS-1’s knowledge with respect to explosives and explained that he was interested in, among other things, attacking an embassy of Saudi Arabia. In response, CS-1 allegedly indicated that he was knowledgeable with respect to C-4 explosives. In June and July 2011, the complaint alleges, Arbabsiar returned to Mexico and held additional meetings with CS-1, where Arbabsiar explained that his associates in Iran had discussed a number of violent missions for CS-1 and his associates to perform, including the murder of the Ambassador.
$1.5 Million Fee for Alleged Assassination
In a July 14, 2011, meeting in Mexico, CS-1 allegedly told Arbabsiar that he would need to use four men to carry out the Ambassador’s murder and that his price for carrying out the murder was $1.5 million. Arbabsiar allegedly agreed and stated that the murder of the Ambassador should be handled first, before the execution of other attacks. Arbabsiar also allegedly indicated he and his associates had $100,000 in Iran to pay CS-1 as a first payment toward the assassination and discussed the manner in which that payment would be made.
During the same meeting, Arbabsiar allegedly described to CS-1 his cousin in Iran, who he said had requested that Arbabsiar find someone to carry out the Ambassador’s assassination. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar indicated that his cousin was a “big general” in the Iranian military; that he focuses on matters outside Iran and that he had taken certain unspecified actions related to a bombing in Iraq.
In a July 17, 2011, meeting in Mexico, CS-1 noted to Arbabsiar that one of his workers had already traveled to Washington, D.C., to surveill the Ambassador. CS-1 also raised the possibility of innocent bystander casualties. The complaint alleges that Arbabsiar made it clear that the assassination needed to go forward, despite mass casualties, telling CS-1, “They want that guy [the Ambassador] done [killed], if the hundred go with him f**k ‘em.” CS-1 and Arbabsiar allegedly discussed bombing a restaurant in the United States that the Ambassador frequented. When CS-1 noted that others could be killed in the attack, including U.S. senators who dine at the restaurant, Arbabsiar allegedly dismissed these concerns as “no big deal.”
On Aug. 1, and Aug. 9, 2011, with Shakuri’s approval, Arbabsiar allegedly caused two overseas wire transfers totaling approximately $100,000 to be sent to an FBI undercover account as a down payment for CS-1 to carry out the assassination. Later, Arbabsiar allegedly explained to CS-1 that he would provide the remainder of the $1.5 million after the assassination. On Sept. 20, 2011, CS-1 allegedly told Arbabsiar that the operation was ready and requested that Arbabsiar either pay one half of the agreed upon price ($1.5 million) for the murder or that Arbabsiar personally travel to Mexico as collateral for the final payment of the fee. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar agreed to travel to Mexico to guarantee final payment for the murder.
Arrest and Alleged Confession
On or about Sept. 28, 2011, Arbabsiar flew to Mexico. Arbabsiar was refused entry into Mexico by Mexican authorities and, according to Mexican law and international agreements; he was placed on a return flight destined for his last point of departure. On Sept. 29, 2011, Arbabsiar was arrested by federal agents during a flight layover at JFK International Airport in New York. Several hours after his arrest, Arbabsiar was advised of his Miranda rights and he agreed to waive those rights and speak with law enforcement agents. During a series of Mirandized interviews, Arbabsiar allegedly confessed to his participation in the murder plot.
According to the complaint, Arbabsiar also admitted to agents that, in connection with this plot, he was recruited, funded, and directed by men he understood to be senior officials in Iran’s Qods Force. He allegedly said these Iranian officials were aware of and approved of the use of CS-1 in connection with the plot; as well as payments to CS-1; the means by which the Ambassador would be killed in the United States and the casualties that would likely result.
Arbabsiar allegedly told agents that his cousin, who he had long understood to be a senior member of the Qods Force, had approached him in the early spring of 2011 about recruiting narco-traffickers to kidnap the Ambassador. Arbabsiar told agents that he then met with the CS-1 in Mexico and discussed assassinating the Ambassador. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar said that, afterwards, he met several times in Iran with Shakuri and another senior Qods Force official, where he explained that the plan was to blow up a restaurant in the United States frequented by the Ambassador and that numerous bystanders could be killed, according to the complaint. The plan was allegedly approved by these officials.
In October 2011, according to the complaint, Arbabsiar made phone calls at the direction of law enforcement to Shakuri in Iran that were monitored. During these phone calls, Shakuri allegedly confirmed that Arbabsiar should move forward with the plot to murder the Ambassador and that he should accomplish the task as quickly as possible, stating on Oct. 5, 2011, “[j]ust do it quickly, it’s late . . .” The complaint alleges that Shakuri also told Arbabsiar that he would consult with his superiors about whether they would be willing to pay CS-1 additional money.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Houston Division and DEA Houston Division, with assistance from the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glen Kopp and Edward Kim, of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. State Department provided substantial assistance. We thank the government of Mexico for its close coordination and collaboration in this matter, and for its role in ensuring that the defendant was safely apprehended.
The charges contained in a criminal complaint are mere allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.[/quote]
This OP officially belongs to Craig Willmore
[URL="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iik76Wx0IK-0dfIJiPmBSZ47vcug?docId=dd997b91b1014b518f6adca1a27db8f5"]Associated Press[/URL]
[quote]WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Tuesday accused agents of the Iranian government of being involved in a plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the thwarted plot would further isolate Tehran.
Two people, including a member of Iran's special operations unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court. Justice Department officials say they were working with a person they thought was an associate of a Mexican drug cartel to target the Saudi diplomat, Adel Al-Jubeir. But their contact was an informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency who told U.S. authorities about all their planning.
FBI Director Robert Mueller said many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador with bombs in the U.S. But Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said no explosives were actually placed and no one was in any danger because of the informant's cooperation with authorities.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. would hold Iran accountable. Clinton told The Associated Press the Treasury Department soon would put more people under sanctions. She also predicted the plot would further isolate Iran.
Holder said the bomb plot was a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law.
"We will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground," Bharara said at a press conference in Washington with Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Alizreza Miryusefi, the press attache at Iran's mission to the United Nations, said Tuesday that the accusation was "totally baseless" and that a full statement would be issued shortly.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, whom authorities said was a Quds Force member and is still at large in Iran.
Justice Department officials say Arbabsiar approached the DEA informant in Mexico to ask about his knowledge of explosives for a plot to blow up the Saudi embassy in Washington. But through subsequent conversations in English, secretly recorded for U.S. authorities, Arbabsiar offered $1.5 million for the death of the ambassador, perhaps at a purported favorite restaurant of his despite the possibility of mass casualties.
Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation.
Arbabsiar did not know he was trying to hire a DEA informant to carry out the plot, prosecutors said. Posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, the informant met with Arbabsiar several times in Mexico, authorities said. The price tag was $1.5 million and Arabsiar made a $100,000 down payment wired from an overseas account.
Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors said Arbabsiar has confessed to his participation in the murder plot.
President Barack Obama was first briefed on the plot in June, said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.
"The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.[/quote]
Will update OP as it updates.
Oh boy... no wonder we Iranians are slowly replacing the Russians and Arabs as the bad guys in videogames.
I wouldn't be the least bit shocked to see a false flag attack be blamed on those [I]evil Iranians[/I] to distract everyone from the Occupy Wall Street protests.
[QUOTE=Dr. G;32730954]I wouldn't be the least bit shocked to see a false flag attack be blamed on those [I]evil Iranians[/I] to distract everyone from the Occupy Wall Street protests.[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't too, but hey, you never know.
[QUOTE=CommanderPT;32730936]Oh boy... no wonder we Iranians are slowly replacing the Russians and Arabs as the bad guys in videogames.[/QUOTE]
are they? after MW1 I've only seen more russians as enemies since
[QUOTE=wewt!;32730977]are they? after MW1 I've only seen more russians as enemies since[/QUOTE]
[url]http://youtu.be/C4UaNg701MA[/url]
[QUOTE=wewt!;32730977]are they? after MW1 I've only seen more russians as enemies since[/QUOTE]
Arma 3
Battlefield 3
FOX NEWS
WHEN ALL YOU CAN DO IS SPEW BULLSHIT AND YOU HAVE A INTERNET CONNECTION
Yeah yeah Iran is so bad and evil... Come up with something new Isramerica.
[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15266992]BBC[/url]
[quote]Iran agents 'planned US terror attacks'
Breaking news
The US says it has broken up a major terror plot in which agents linked to Iran sought to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Two men originally from Iran - one a naturalised US citizen - have been charged with counts of conspiracy, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
The plot was "conceived" in Iran by the Quds force, part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, he added.
The state department has listed Iran as a "state sponsor" of terror since 1984.
The two men allegedly linked to the plot were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force.
Mr Arbabsiar was arrested in September, Mr Holder said, but Mr Shakuri remains in Iran.
They have been charged with a series of conspiracy charges over alleged plans to kill the Saudi ambassador.
Mr Arbabsiar, who is due to appear in court in New York on Tuesday, faces a potential life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.[/quote]
ok, after Norway's incident a few months ago and them pointing directly at muslim's right off the bat, we shouldn't start pointing fingers. So what information is there that Iran indeed payed these terrorists?
[QUOTE=Craig Willmore;32731191][url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15266992]BBC[/url][/QUOTE]
Add this to OP instead of fox.
we picked up a piece of garbage off the ground, TERRORIST ATTACK AVOIDED
-Fox
[url=http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2011/two-men-charged-in-alleged-plot-to-assassinate-saudi-arabian-ambassador-to-the-united-states]FBI Press Release[/url]
[quote]Two Men Charged in Alleged Plot to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States
U.S. Department of Justice October 11, 2011
Office of Public Affairs (202) 514-2007/TDD (202)514-1888
WASHINGTON—Two individuals have been charged in New York for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.
The charges were announced by Attorney General Eric Holder; FBI Director Robert S. Mueller; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
A criminal complaint filed today in the Southern District of New York charges Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran’s Qods Force, which is a special operations unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is said to sponsor and promote terrorist activities abroad.
Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official; conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives); and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries. Arbabsiar is further charged with an additional count of foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.
Shakuri remains at large. Arbabsiar was arrested on Sept. 29, 2011, at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and will make his initial appearance today before in federal court in Manhattan. 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 U.S. soil with explosives,” said Attorney General 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.”
“The investigation leading to today’s charges illustrates both the challenges and complexities of the international threat environment, and our increased ability today to bring together the intelligence and law enforcement resources necessary to better identify and disrupt those threats, regardless of their origin,” said FBI Director Mueller.
“The disruption of this plot is a significant milestone that stems from months of hard work by our law enforcement and intelligence professionals,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today’s case.”
“As alleged, these defendants were part of a well-funded and pernicious plot that had, as its first priority, the assassination of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, without care or concern for the mass casualties that would result from their planned attack,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “Today’s charges should make crystal clear that we will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground.”
The Alleged Plot
The criminal complaint alleges that, from the spring of 2011 to October 2011, Arbabsiar and his Iran-based co-conspirators, including Shakuri of the Qods Force, have been plotting the murder of the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. In furtherance of this conspiracy, Arbabsiar allegedly met on a number of occasions in Mexico with a DEA confidential source (CS-1) who has posed as an associate of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. According to the complaint, Arbabsiar arranged to hire CS-1 and CS-1’s purported accomplices to murder the Ambassador, and Shakuri and other Iran-based co-conspirators were aware of and approved the plan. With Shakuri’s approval, Arbabsiar has allegedly caused approximately $100,000 to be wired into a bank account in the United States as a down payment to CS-1 for the anticipated killing of the Ambassador, which was to take place in the United States.
[/quote]
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;32731195]ok, after Norway's incident a few months ago and them pointing directly at muslim's right off the bat, we shouldn't start pointing fingers. So what information is there that Iran indeed payed these terrorists?[/QUOTE]
Would you trust the evidence either way?
[B]Edited:[/B]
I'm not going to remove fox from the OP because you all think they an uncredible source, the fact is, I heard it there first, so fuck you.
[url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iik76Wx0IK-0dfIJiPmBSZ47vcug?docId=dd997b91b1014b518f6adca1a27db8f5]Associated Press[/url]
[quote]WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Tuesday accused agents of the Iranian government of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, with help from a purported member of a Mexican drug cartel.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. would hold Iran accountable.
Two people, including a member of Iran's special operations unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court. Holder said the bomb plot was a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law.
"We will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground," Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said at a press conference in Washington with Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, whom authorities said was a Quds Force member.
FBI Director Robert Mueller says many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador with bombs in the U.S.
Holder said the U.S. government would be taking unspecified action against the Iranian government as early as Tuesday afternoon. Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation.
Arbabsiar unknowingly hired an informant from the Drug Enforcement Administration to carry out the plot, prosecutors said. Posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, the informant met with Arbabsiar several times in Mexico, authorities said. The price tag was $1.5 million and Arabsiar made a $100,000 down payment.
Bharara said no explosives were actually placed, and no one was in any danger.
Shakuri remains at large. Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors said Arbabsiar has confessed to his participation in the murder plot.
President Barack Obama was first briefed on the plot in June, said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.
"The disruption of this plot is a significant achievement by our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and the president is enormously grateful for their exceptional work in this instance and countless others," Vietor said.[/quote]
This could get ugly
[QUOTE=PaRaD0XX;32731273]Would you trust the evidence either way?
[B]Edited:[/B]
I'm not going to remove fox from the OP because you all think they an uncredible source, the fact is, I heard it there first, so fuck you.[/QUOTE]
if an official statement was released saying that these people were working with the Iranian government, I would believe it. It's just the attack in Norway, as soon as it happened everyone pointed fingers at the wrong people, so I'm skeptical until official news is released.
oh look, craig posted an official FBI release. looks like I was wrong, my bad.
and it's not that Fox isn't credible, they mix opinions in with their facts
I don't get why FP is turning into a bunch Iranian sympathizers. Yeah America is a dick to Iran, but Iran isn't some angel.
Is it right? No, but a lot of FP seems to give Iran the benefit of the doubt in most scenarios now. The country is ran by a mad man. I'm not saying "lolol nuke Iran!" I'm just wondering why you guys act surprised when things like this happen? These groups have been fighting for years and all sides are pretty nasty when it comes to things like this.
[quote]factions of the Iranian government[/quote]
[quote] elements of the Iranian government[/quote]
[quote]The plot was "conceived" in Iran by the Quds force, part of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps[/quote]
I would like to point out this stuff, as some people seem to believe that it was the entirety of the government. While it could be, I highly doubt it. Also from the sounds of it, the Guard corps would not be that unlikely a candidate for such a plot.
[quote=Wikipedia]Whereas the regular military (artesh) defends Iran's borders and maintains internal order, according to the Iranian constitution, the Revolutionary Guard (pasdaran) is intended to protect the country's Islamic system.
Since its origin as an ideologically driven militia, the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution has taken an ever more assertive role in virtually every aspect of Iranian society. Its expanded social, political, military, and economic role under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration — especially during the 2009 presidential election and post-election suppression of protest — has led many analysts to argue that its political power has surpassed even that of the Shiite clerical system.
[/quote]
Iran is a modernized countries that still runs on 10th century laws
I strongly doubt this was done by the Iranian government.
The suspect's link with Iran seems tenuous at best:
[url]http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-iran-tied-terror-plot-washington-dc-disrupted/story?id=14711933[/url]
[release]The Iranian-American, identified by federal officials as Manssor Arbabsiar, 56, reportedly claimed he was being "directed by high-ranking members of the Iranian government," including a cousin who was "a member of the Iranian army but did not wear a uniform,"[/release]
Oh Wow! A cousin who was both in the army AND didn't wear a uniform, must be important.
Can anyone imagine what shit would have gone down if that threat was indeed legit and had been carried through?
We are talking 9-11esque invasion of iran, nuclear holocost etc, etc.
damn, nation, you scary.
[QUOTE=DiBBs27;32731785]nuclear holocost etc, etc.
[/QUOTE]
lolno
Counter-terrorists win, I guess.
[QUOTE=Funcoot;32731420]I don't get why FP is turning into a bunch Iranian sympathizers. Yeah America is a dick to Iran, but Iran isn't some angel.
Is it right? No, but a lot of FP seems to give Iran the benefit of the doubt in most scenarios now. The country is ran by a mad man. I'm not saying "lolol nuke Iran!" I'm just wondering why you guys act surprised when things like this happen? These groups have been fighting for years and all sides are pretty nasty when it comes to things like this.[/QUOTE]Because the 'evidence' that Iran was behind it is bogus. "He had an Iranian passport"
[editline]11th October 2011[/editline]
[release]Asked whether the plot was blessed by the top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the [B]Justice Department was not making that accusation[/B].[/release]
This is sensationalism media at its best digging for any excuse for a pretext on a war on Iran.
Gentlemen. The system works.
[editline]11th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=DiBBs27;32731785]Can anyone imagine what shit would have gone down if that threat was indeed legit and had been carried through?
We are talking 9-11esque invasion of iran, nuclear holocost etc, etc.
damn, nation, you scary.[/QUOTE]
Wow, really?
You should look up the definition for 'appropriate response'
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