Iran court summons Argentina officials over accusations on 1994 bombing News
Iran court summons Argentina officials over accusations on 1994 bombing

[JURIST] Iranian prosecutors issued court summonses Tuesday for five Argentinians accused of falsely implicating an Iranian group with masterminding the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center [Wikipedia backgrounder]. The five accused – former Interior Minister Carlos Corach, president of the bombed community center Ruben Beraja, judge Juan Jose Galeano, and prosecutors Eamon Mullen and Jose Barbaccia – have rejected the summonses. The call for the five to appear in Iranian court comes after the Interpol General Assembly [official website] last week voted to issue arrest notices [press release; JURIST report] for five Iranians and one Lebanese man wanted in connection with the bombing.

Argentinian prosecutors have alleged that the bombing was planned by Iranian officials, and carried out by the Lebanese group Hezbollah [BBC backgrounder]. The country originally sought the arrests of high-ranking members of the Iranian government, including former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani [official website, in Farsi; JURIST report], but Interpol's Executive Committee [official website] denied the request and granted only six of the nine Red Notices requested by Argentina. The authorization of the notices went before the General Assembly following an Iranian appeal of the Executive Committee decision. AP has more. IRNA has local coverage.