A planned Iranian terrorist attack on French soil "wasn't thwarted by chance," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, hinting that Israel had a role in preventing the attack.
Iran has set up terrorist and intelligence infrastructure across Europe with the aim of assassinating exiled Iranian dissidents and moderate Arab leaders, particularly those whose countries rival Iran in the Persian Gulf, intelligence experts told Israel Hayom Tuesday.
According to both Israeli and foreign intelligence experts, the vast Iranian infrastructure was set up to serve the Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite black-ops arm, the Quds Force.
One foreign intelligence official said that a prominent Arab leader had recently canceled a visit to Europe following solid information suggesting that an Iranian terrorist cell was planning to assassinate him.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile was visiting the Austrian capital, where his country's nuclear agreement with world powers was drawn up three years ago, in an effort to salvage the deal after the withdrawal of the United States in May.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu criticized European leaders for meeting with Rouhani while his country was plotting against the continent. The prime minister made the comments at an event marking the American Independence Day, hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
Netanyahu remarked that "this week was an example of Iran's boundless hypocrisy and lack of shame: In the same week that Iran's president meets European leaders to try to overcome President [Donald] Trump's sanctions, and I assure you that this effort will fail, Iran plans a terrorist attack on French soil in Europe."
"I call on the leaders of Europe: Stop funding the terrorist regime that is planning terrorist attacks against you on your soil. Stop your appeasement and feebleness toward Iran. We will take forceful action against anyone who threatens to destroy Israel to ensure Israel's existence for eternity," Netanyahu said.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday asked the visiting Iranian president for "full clarification."
"We expect full clarification and I would like to thank you, Mr. President, that you have assured us of support for this clarification," Kurz said, speaking alongside Rouhani.
French police also detained a man of Iranian origin in France, and a judicial official said on Wednesday that a European arrest warrant was issued for the man in question, identified as 54-year-old Mehrdad A.
It was not immediately clear when he would be extradited to Belgium, where he normally resides. The official wasn't authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and demanded not to be named.
In his comments to reporters, Rouhani didn't mention the case. He and Kurz didn't take questions, and there were also no questions allowed at a news conference earlier Wednesday with the Iranian and Austrian presidents.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the man arrested in Belgium was a member of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq Iranian opposition group.
