Interpol says it is planning to seek the arrest of six Iranian former officials whom Argentina blames for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre. But it has decided to turn down arrest requests for three others named by Argentina, including former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The attack on a seven-storey building in Buenos Aires killed 85 people. Argentina's investigation concluded that Iran had ordered the bombing. The country denies any involvement.
Interpol, the international police agency, considered written and oral presentations from both Iran and Argentina before making its decision. It said it would issue the six "red notices" at the end of the month, unless either side appealed against its decision in the meantime. A red notice enables the international arrest warrant, issued by Argentina, to be circulated worldwide, with a view to the suspects being arrested and extradited. The six concerned are Imad Fayez Mughniyah, Ali Fallahijan, Mohsen Rabbani, Ahmad Reza Asghari, Ahmad Vahidi and Mohsen Rezai. Applications for the arrest of Ali Akbar Velayati and Hadi Soleimanpour, as well as Mr Rafsanjani, were rejected.
No-one has ever been convicted of the 1994 bombing - the worst terror attack in Argentine history - and the government has admitted failures in its initial investigation. Last year it said it believed Iran ordered the attack, and militant group Hezbollah carried it out. Iran has called such claims a "Zionist plot". |