Two Iranian men have been charged in an elaborate plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian envoy to the United States and a high level advisor to Saudi King Abdullah. Saudi ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir was the target of the plan which involved a Mexican drug cartel and was complete with a restaurant bombing.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Mansour Abrabsiar hired a DEA informant to carry out the plan. Abrasiar, an Iranian-American who was previously a used car dealer, is now in U.S. custody along with the 100,000 USD down payment that was transferred from an account linked to the Quds Force.
The Quds Force is considered to be the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolution Guard Corps. Gholam Shakuri, the second alleged conspirator and a known officer in the Quds Force, is still at large.
In addition to planning to hire a cartel to bomb a restaurant while Al-Jubeir ate inside, the Justice Department has alleged the Quds Force agents also were beginning to layout strategies to bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, DC.
Iran has vehemently denied any connection to the two Iranian’s charged, and claimed that Shakuri is a “key member” of the Iranian opposition group, Mujahedeen Khalq. According to The Washington Post, Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said in Tehran, “The U.S. government and the CIA have very good experience in making up film scripts.
It appears that this new scenario is for diverting the U.S. public opinion from internal crises.” Iranian officials have denounced the U.S. accusations and one official called the charges “silly and mischievous.”
U.S. officials have disregarded the Iranian response, and feel that there is more than enough supporting evidence to level the charges against the Iranian government.
Much of the evidence used to build the case was gathered from the DEA informant, who reported meeting with Abrabsiar several times between May and July. During their meetings, the two men concocted the plan, and agreed on a price of 1.5 million USD to carry out the attack. According to The Washington Post, U.S. court files claim on Sept. 20, the informant called Abrabsiar and informed him the plan was completed.
Abrabsiar attempted to fly to Mexico eight days later and was denied entry. On Sept. 29, he was detained at JFK International Airport while attempting to re-enter the U.S. U.S. officials claim to have audio between the two men which indisputably links Abrabsiar with the plan and implicates Shakuri.
While the Iranian government has claimed the plot is nothing more than an internal ruse by the U.S. to draw attention away from Occupy Wall Street protests that have spread across the country, U.S. officials are sticking to their allegations.
The U.S. needs to act quickly to bring the two alleged terrorists to justice. Our justice system should use the sixth amendment clause, guaranteeing the right to a speedy trial to its fullest extent. With our nation facing a plethora of internal problems, the last thing we need is external enemies trying to disrupt our relations with vital allies.
Our enemies can see that we as a nation are struggling in a strained world economy and are using this opportunity, attempting to create friction between the United States and its allies.
I am worried that without swift justice being dealt, other terrorist organizations will attempt to attack the U.S.
The foiled plot is representative of a larger problem, one that has been quietly growing from within our borders. I feel that U.S. enemies have taken notice to the many complications America has faced as a nation and have sensed that the internal structure is weakening. With the U.S. economy dwindling, unemployment rates rising and military forces thinning, American enemies see the country as exposed and vulnerable.
A quick trial will be a statement of the United States resolve when dealing with terrorists, and I believe that it would help to deter future plans.
While zealots and extremist groups will always exist, many of these operations rely on desperate, lost individuals to carry out the actual acts of terrorism. A fast judgment of Abrabsiar could deter low-level operators from carrying out their plans. In addition, the United States should use its infamous ‘assets’ to locate and bring Shakuri to justice.
If the United States can do this, any people considering an attack against the U.S. on her own soil will definitely think twice before carrying them out. By delivering swift justice to the two plotters, the United States will both assert its stance on terrorism as well as solidify relations with Saudi Arabia by showing its commitment to protecting their officials.
David Adams can be reached at dadams@spartans.ut.edu.