Argentina
The Government Backed the Indictment of Eight Accused in the AMIA Attack
The ruling was signed by federal judge Daniel Rafecas under the in absentia trial law. The Executive Branch and the Ministry of Justice highlighted the move as a step against impunity.
The national Government celebrated the decision by federal judge Daniel Rafecas, who indicted eight senior Iranian and Lebanese officials for their alleged involvement in the attack on the AMIA, which took place on July 18, 1994.
According to the judicial ruling, the decision to carry out the attack was made in August 1993 by the leadership of the Iranian regime and its execution was entrusted to Hezbollah. Ali Fallahijan, Ali Velayati, Mohsen Rezai and Ahmad Vahidi were indicted as indirect perpetrators. Hadi Soleimanpour, Mohsen Rabbani, Ahmad Asghari and Salman Raouf Salman were also charged as necessary accomplices.
The investigation reconstructed the logistics of the attack, which left 85 dead. According to the ruling, a Renault Trafic van loaded with about 300 kilos of ammonal and TNT was used and prepared before the explosion outside the Jewish mutual association headquarters. C5N added that the ruling, more than 600 pages long, imposed a $500 million attachment on each of those indicted and said there were 151 injured.
From the Executive Branch, officials attributed the advance to Law 27,784, which incorporated the figure of trial in absentia into the National Criminal Procedure Code. The Minister of Justice, Juan Bautista Mahiques, said on social media that the indictment “marks a milestone in the fight against impunity” and presented it as a historic step for the victims, their families and Argentine society.
Radio Mitre also noted that Patricia Bullrich highlighted that the new tool makes it possible to continue the search for justice even if the accused remain fugitives. Crónica, for its part, reported that President Javier Milei reposted Mahiques’ message and expressed his support for the ruling.
C5N added that Rafecas described the attack as a crime against humanity and also under the figure of genocide in terms of international law. That outlet also reported that the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence for Abdallah Salman and Hussein Mouzannar, and that he referred the matter to the Supreme Court over a possible connection with the case involving the attack on the Israeli Embassy.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
