An alleged head of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah was federally charged Wednesday with helping plan the deadly 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina and spending decades recruiting and training other terrorists.
Samuel Salman El Reda, 58, helped “plan and execute” the truck bomb attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and injured hundreds more, according to court documents revealed in Manhattan federal court.
The alleged Hezbollah leader has also been part of terrorist operations elsewhere in South America, Asia and Lebanon, where he is still based and “remains at large,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
Between 2007 and 2015, El Reda “helped recruit, train and manage” members of the militant group, deploying agents to Thailand, Panama and Peru to stockpile explosive chemicals and scout locations for potential terrorist attacks, the indictment states.
US officials had offered $7 million for information on the whereabouts of Samuel Salman El Reda, but he remains a fugitive. Justice Department
El Reda was indicted on charges including providing material support to a terrorist organization, which together could carry a 55-year prison sentence if he is brought to the United States to stand trial.
“This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terrorism: that the Department of Justice’s memory is long and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice,” Deputy Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement.
The 1994 attack on the Buenos Aires Jewish Center killed 85 people and injured hundreds more. AP
Court records show that an indictment was first filed against El Reda in October 2019.
The US State Department sanctioned El Reda in July 2019 and offered a $7 million reward at the time for information they could use to locate him.
Federal officials did not explain Wednesday why they waited more than four years to unseal the charges and make the allegations public.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn