Will Argentina Come to the Hague?

In a letter to Patricia Bullrich, Argentina’s Security Minister, we congratulated the capture of a group of terrorists planning to murder members of the Jewish community in the city of Mendoza. It appears to be an attempt by the Taliban, but could more likely be connected to Iran, in the current context of the regime’s murderous intent against Israel – and Jews by association.

The same had applied in Buenos Aires this January, with two Syrians and a Lebanese plotting attacks in the capital.

In January, our office had called on Argentina to renew its request on INTERPOL, regarding the perpetrators of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Centre in Buenos Aires back in 1994. That terror attack, carried out by Iranian operatives and a Lebanese member of Hezbollah, had left 85 dead and over 300 wounded.

Argentine President Javier Milei had followed up to reiterate INTERPOL’s Red Notices on the surviving Iranian terrorists, some of who became high officials of the Islamic regime.

Iranian suspects of the 1994 AMIA bombing, on Red Notice by INTERPOL.

We also hope for the reopening of the case regarding the 86th victim of the AMIA affair, Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, assassinated on the eve of his presentation to the Argentine Congress of his report unveiling the network of Iran-affiliated operatives in 9 countries across South America.

(Left) Samuels with Nisman in London, weeks before his assassination in 2015. 

(Right) A chart depicting the Iranian-sponsored South American terrorist network.

On a visit to the Triple Frontier area – the intersection of borders between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay – we saw Shia Mullahs in massive sedans by the huge Mosque of Foz do Iguaçu. Once a convenient hideout for Nazi war criminals, the Triple Frontier area has also been a base for a criminal and terrorist groups, easily escaping across the border to avoid local police take downs.

On the 24th anniversary of the AMIA bombing, in July 2018, we  organized, together with the Henry Jackson Society, a conference in the British Parliament, Chaired by Lord Trimble, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Among the speakers were the Argentine Ambassador, an AMIA bombing survivor and a British expert on universal jurisdiction and extradition procedures. Michael Caplan QC, argued that “if any of the Iranian suspects were to land on British soil, in view of the INTERPOL Red Notice, he must be stopped and detained. The Police would then inform Argentina, whereupon Buenos Aires would issue a request for arrest and extradition.”

Sadly, since 2018, INTERPOL has had little chance to implement its Red Notices.

We urge President Milei and Minister Bullrich to bring forward another option:

Argentina should appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC), to open a case against Iran’s past state-sponsored terrorist acts – in particular, the 1994 AMIA and the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombings in Buenos Aires – as well as its persistent threats today.

Argentina, welcome to the Hague!