MEK Iran: Did Assadolah Assadi Threaten the Belgian Government?

Assadolah Assadi made history by being the first Iranian diplomat to be arrested and face trial for what could have been, if successful, one of the worst mass killings in Europe in recent history.

Assadi was supposedly a diplomat based in the Iranian Embassy in Vienna. He was accused of organizing what turned out to be thankfully failed attempt to blow up a rally in Paris in October 2018 organized by the Iranian Resistance movement, principally the umbrella group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).

.@StateDept: "Since 2018, Asadollah Asadi, who had been assigned as an Iranian diplomat to Austria, remains in a Belgian prison awaiting trial based on evidence that he provided explosives to bomb a dissident rally in Paris, which could have killed scores of men, women&children." https://t.co/chmchn82QA

— Alireza Jafarzadeh (@A_Jafarzadeh) June 8, 2020

The rally was attended by many exiled Iranians involved in the NCRI and supporters of the MEK and constituent groups as well as other Iranians who support the cause of democratic change in Iran and many other foreign participants including previous and current European, Arab, and U.S. officials.

The attempt to provide bomb material to 2 co-conspirators went badly wrong and the three would-be bombers, including Assadi, were arrested in Germany. Assadi himself is set to be tried on terrorism charges on November 27^th this year.

Belgian experts: the shock wave caused by the bomb could have extended over a hundred meters, claiming numerous victims and creating a potentially fatal panic movement given the number of people present.#MEK #Iran https://t.co/Vihck8lA6j pic.twitter.com/R6jMWc7fX1

— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) October 10, 2020

Assadi has recently not earned any favors by warning authorities in Belgium that a terrorist attack could be attempted by any of Iran’s proxy groups if he is convicted of the offense he has been charged with. The French government has said that Assadi was acting under orders from the Iranian government, specifically the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Assadi has refused to comment on the allegations made against him and the Iranian regime has dismissed the allegations made against Assadi and the other two people arrested. The regime claims that the allegations are false and have been made up by the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalk). The MEK is the main constituent of the groups that come under the NCRI.

Iranian diplomat warned of retaliation over #Belgian bomb plot trial: document- #PARIS (Reuters) – #Iranian diplomat charged in Belgium with planning to bomb a meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in #France warned authorities of possible retaliation.#MEK #FreeIran2020 pic.twitter.com/c3uB0SOF6C

— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) October 9, 2020

The warning, or threat, depending on how you look at it, came up in the transcript of responses made by Assadi to Belgian police during questioning. Assadi is said to have warned Belgian authorities that “his case was being closely watched by undisclosed groups in Iran and neighboring countries.” Assadi, initially, had stated that the regime in Iran had long-standing grievances with the MEK, rather than respond to the serious allegations made against him.

Assadi said that undisclosed groups would be “watching from the sidelines to see if Belgium would support them or not.” He specified groups that were already armed operating in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran itself.

The Belgian federal prosecutor has said that threats may occur, but “we always take the necessary security measures.”

“Assadi's incarceration entered its third year,” lamented #Iran’s state-run Keyhan newspaper on Wednesday, referring to the regime’s terrorist diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was arrested in Germany on June 30, 2018.https://t.co/CVxohgUdfk

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 4, 2020

Assadi claims that his warnings were made by himself and did not emanate from the regime in Tehran. Dimitri de Beco, Assadi’s lawyer has denied that Assadi was threatening the Belgians. “It is absolutely not a threat of retaliation and if it’s understood that way it’s a misinterpretation,” he said.

Tehran has stated that the MEK was a terrorist organization and was being harbored by the E.U. In fact, the MEK lost its “terrorist” classification in 2012. After exile from Iran, it was based in Baghdad, Iraq then relocated to its current base at Ashraf-3 in Albania.

France has accused the MOIS of being behind the bomb attempt and after the arrest of Assadi and his two accomplices who were caught with a pound of the explosive and a detonation device. An Iranian diplomat was expelled by France and assets held in the E.U. by the MOIS were frozen.

https://t.co/fDw1tKXyUQ: On June 30, 2018, a sophisticated bomb should have exploded during a meeting of the #NCRI a coalition of movements opposed to the authorities in Tehran. The attack plan had been foiled by extremists. #MEK #Iran https://t.co/Vihck8lA6j

— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) October 10, 2020

The abridged article was written by John Irish for Reuters.

MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)

and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube