Israeli spy agency thwarted Iranian-backed terrorist attack plan in Africa
The Israeli spy agency Massoud, reportedly charged five Iran-backed African nationals with planning to conduct terrorist attacks targeting Israeli tourists and businesspeople in several African nations, Breitbart reported Monday.
According to the report, the five men, with African passports, were recruited by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s top unit, Quds Force, and underwent training in Lebanon before being sent to Africa under the guise of being a religious group.
From there, the men are suspected of plotting attacks against Israeli tourists and businesspeople in Senegal, Tanzania and Ghana, the news organization reported based on an Israeli television news story.
Iran called the allegations ”baseless,” denying the report.
It is not the first time such plans have been thwarted.
The New York Times reported in February that U.S. and Israeli officials said they had arrested 15 people in Ethiopia who planned to carry out Iranian-planned terrorist attacks against diplomats from the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Times, Ethiopian officials uncovered the cell of 15 people as well as a cache of weapons and explosives that were to be used for attacks in that country’s capital, Addis Ababa.
The arrest of a 16th suspect, Ahmed Ismail, provided authorities with a link to Iran, which allegedly operated the cell and activated it to spy on the embassies of the United States and Israel.
The planned attacks were to be revenge for the death of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed last November by Israel, and the U.S. drone killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani in Iraq in July 2020.
Ismail, who was arrested in Sweden, was the ”mastermind” of the cell and its purported plots, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, director of intelligence at the Pentagon’s Africa Command, told the Times.
“Ethiopia and Sweden collaborated on the disruption to the plot,” Admiral Berg said in a statement to the paper.
Iran also called that plot ”baseless” and denied the cell’s existence.
Earlier this month, Israeli officials said they had foiled an attempt by Iran to assassinate Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi in Cyprus.
Sagi, who is the founder of the gambling software company Playtech, reportedly fled Cyprus after being warned about the plot by Cypriot authorities, a Breitbart story from October reported.
“As was publicized recently, an Iranian attack against Israeli targets in Cyprus was foiled,” said Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, as quoted by the Times of Israel. “Iran continues to be a global and regional threat, as well as a challenge to Israel, and we will continue to operate in order to protect our citizens and the State of Israel anywhere from any threat.”
Source: Newsmax
