A Belgian court is currently considering an appeal for three individuals who were convicted earlier this year for their roles during a failed terrorist bomb plot on behalf of the Iranian regime. The three men who have Iranian and Belgian dual citizenship were sentenced to between 15 and 18 years in prison, while the mastermind behind the plot, Iranian regime diplomat Assadollah Assadi was sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
During the convictions of the men in February, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) asked the European Union to act and extend the accountability of the terror plot in 2018 beyond just the four individuals. The target of the plot was a political rally in France that had been organized by the NCRI.
Attendance at that rally was estimated at around 100,000, including dozens of European and American political dignitaries. The primary target of Assadi’s plot was NCRI’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi.
According to experts, if the bomb had been detonated at the rally, hundreds of people in attendance would have been killed immediately, with the death toll possibly increasing due to a stampede from mass panic.
The bombs were fortunately discovered in a vehicle belonging to two of the imprisoned men, Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Naami, and were detonated by a Belgian bomb squad, which slightly wounded one police officer despite the area being cordoned off to a safe distance.
The explosives were exported out of Iran on a flight to Austria, contained in Assadi’s diplomat pouch to avoid security screenings. Once in Austria, the explosives were then transported to the French border by car. Saadouni and Nasimeh were arrested at the French border, while Assadi was apprehended in Germany while traveling back to the Iranian embassy in Austria where he was stationed.
It is now understood that while technically employed as the third counselor at that embassy, Assadi was operating as the European bureau chief for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Source: Iran Focus
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