Detained Iranian Diplomat to be Tried in Belgium

A court in Belgium ruled on Wednesday, July 16, that the trial of an Iranian diplomat and three others suspected of planning to bomb a Mujahedin-e Khalq conference in Paris two years ago will be held in the coming months.

Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat in Austria, is one of these four suspects.

Erik Van der Sypt, spokesperson for the Belgian Prosecutor General, announced on Wednesday that the charges against these four suspects are “attempted terrorist murder” and “participation in terrorist organization activities.”

In July 2018, four people were arrested in Germany and Belgium, and they were accused of attempting to bomb a Mujahedin-e Khalq conference in Paris.

Initially, Belgian authorities announced the arrest of an Iranian couple in a car carrying explosive materials, and then media outlets reported the arrest of two others in connection with this case.

Assadollah Assadi was the third secretary at Iran’s embassy in Austria and was arrested while traveling in Germany. According to the “National Council of Resistance,” he had provided the bombing plan and explosive materials to the arrested couple.

The French Foreign Ministry also explicitly held the Islamic Republic’s intelligence agencies responsible in this matter and sanctioned two organizations; a move that was welcomed by the European Union.

The Islamic Republic has denied involvement in this matter, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, wrote in a tweet that the timing of the arrests with Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Europe is “surprising.”

According to the ruling issued on Wednesday, the trial of these four suspects will be held in the final months of this year in the port city of Antwerp.

Source: Radio Farda