Court documents reveal damning details about Tehran’s bomb plot against the Iranian Resistance

Reporting by PMOI/MEK

Iran, November 29, 2020—In an historic event, an Iranian regime diplomat was tried in a Belgian court on November 27 for a failed bombing plot against the annual rally of the Iranian Resistance near Paris in 2018. The details of the indictment provided by Belgian prosecutors reveal much about the graveness of the matter and the significance of the trial.

• In their indictment for Assadollah Assadi, the Iranian diplomat, and his three accomplices, Belgian prosecutors demanded a 20-year prison sentence for Assadi; 18 years in prison for Amir Sadouni and Nassimeh Na’ami, the couple tasked with detonating the bomb at the Paris rally of the NCRI; and 15 years for Mehrdad Arefani, the fourth terrorist involved in the plot.
• The prosecutor also called for the Belgian citizenship of Sadouni, Na’ami, and Arefani to be revoked, and stressed that the three were using their Belgian nationality to facilitate their evil deed and bring about a disaster, which is an affront to Belgian constitution.
• According to the prosecutor’s request, all money the terrorists had received from the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), will be confiscated. While the terrorist were receiving welfare from the Belgian government, Sadouni and Na’ami had two vehicles and were able to rent two apartments. Na’ami had 120,000 euros in her bank account and 35,000 euros in cash at her home.
• The prosecutor reiterated that the main target of the attack was Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the keynote speaker of the Free Iran rally. After personally delivering the bomb to Sadouni and Na’ami in Luxembourg, Assadi had instructed them to plant it as close to the location Rajavi would be sitting at the event. “She is the main target. If you can’t plant the bomb, bring it back,” Assadi had said.
• In a slide deck presented at the trial, the prosecutor revealed the key facts about the bombing plot, including details about actions taken by Assadi and his accomplices in the months and weeks that led to the Free Iran rally. The events of the last few days were shown in details and with visual evidence.
• The prosecutor underlined that all obtained evidence show that Assadi was commanding the terrorist operation and his prosecution is necessary for Belgium’s own security.
• While presenting the details about Assadi’s arrest in Germany, the prosecutor stressed that Austria, where Assadi’s diplomatic mission is located, can’t object to his arrest because he was apprehended outside of Austria and according to international law, he did not have diplomatic immunity.
• According to Belgium’s 2002 legislation, even if Assadi had diplomatic immunity, Belgian authorities could have arrested him, the prosecutor said and added that even according to Austrian law, Belgian authorities were entitled to arresting Assadi. Since he was planning to commit mass murder, international law allows authorities to strip Assadi of his diplomatic immunity and arrest him.
• The prosecutor pointed out that the Iranian regime’s order for Assadi to not appear in the court session and answer questions indicates that the regime was behind the terrorist operation.
• Since Assadi was working with the MOIS, it can’t be said that this was a rogue operation by an individual, and the entire Iranian establishment was behind it.
• The prosecutor explained in detail how Assadi transferred the bomb from Iran to Europe and emphasized that this bomb could have targeted tens of thousands of people. The bomb was packaged in a professional manner, the prosecutor said and added that reportedly, the terrorists wanted to plant the bomb and detonate it remotely. The bomb damaged the asphalt of the road where it was discovered and detonated.
• According to the prosecutor, Sadouni started his cooperation with the MOIS in 2003 in a relation that involved family members and a lot of money. He and Na’ami, his wife, increased their cooperation with the MOIS in 2007. Na’ami’s father played a key role in linking the couple to the MOIS.
• Since 2010, the couple systematically received payments from the MOIS. In 2009 and 2010, the couple were in touch with MOIS operatives “Ahmadzadeh” and “Javad.” At that time, they started traveling to Iran. At the time, they received at least 66,000 euros from the MOIS every year.
• The couple began communicating with Assadi in 2015, who was known to them as “Daniel.” Until their arrest in July 2018, they were in constant contact with Assadi and traveled to Iran several times. They also traveled to other countries, including Germany, Italy, and Austria, where they met with Assadi and received payments in exchange for information. Since 2016, they were in constant email contact with Assadi and changed their phone number seven times.
• Assadi always specified where the couple would meet him. They were tasked with reporting on locations and income sources of the members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). A few days before the appointed date for the foiled bombing plot, Na’ami received 35,000 euros in cash from Assadi and stashed it in her home.
• According to the prosecutor, Na’ami was fully instructed on operating the bomb. The bomb was to be charged for eight hours and the detonator was wired to a battery. Sadouni and Na’ami were told to take a 300-meter distance from the place where they planted the bomb.
• Assadi personally traveled to Iran several times just for the logistics of the attack. According to hard evidence obtained from his car and his Blackberry phone, he traveled once a month to Iran to deal with the preparation of the attack.
• Security at the Austrian airport where Assadi landed on his way back from Iran confirmed that his luggage contained unidentified material.
• On March 19, 2018, Na’ami and Sadouni engage in active email communications with Assadi. They were promised to receive a monthly 2,000-euro bonus to be able to buy a home on conditions that they increase their activities in service of the MOIS and gather more information.
• The last meeting between Assadi and the couple was on June 28 at a pizza lounge in Luxembourg, where Na’ami received the bomb, a new SIM card, and 180,000 euros, along with written instructions for the bomb. On June 26, 19,000 euros was wired to the couple’s account to cover the down payment of a 54,000-euro Mercedes car.
• According to the indictment, Arefani started his cooperation with the MOIS in 1981 after being arrested by security forces. Arefani was in constant communication with Assadi and was busy recording footage and taking pictures of MEK activists and handing them over to Assadi. According to obtained documents, he received many encrypted messages from Austria. He had met with Assadi in different countries and received considerable sums of money.
• According to the indictment, Arefani had a Nokia phone in his possession, which he used exclusively to communicate with Assadi. Arefani kept watch over Na’ami and Sadouni to make sure they were doing carrying out their assignments correctly. He was the last person to stay at the venue where the bombing was to take place. Assadi was waiting for Arefani to report on the bombing.