LONDON, Aug 22: A British court on Friday ordered Iran’s former ambassador to Argentina to remain in custody while he faces possible extradition for the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish centre that killed 85 and wounded some 200.
Iran responded angrily, saying the case against Hadi Soleimanpour was politically motivated and had no legal grounds.
The court refused the 47-year-old diplomat bail and ordered him to appear in court next week, when the Argentinian government will be represented.
“I am satisfied that there is a substantial risk that you will fail to surrender because of the nature and gravity of these accusations,” said presiding judge Timothy Workman.
Soleimanpour was arrested in Britain on Thursday on an international warrant issued by Argentina, which has accused him of conspiracy to murder in connection with the July 1994 car-bomb attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center.
The United States and Israel have long suspected Iran of being behind the attack. President George W. Bush has branded Iran part of an “axis of evil” for sponsoring terrorism.
Soleimanpour was one of eight Iranians ordered arrested by an Argentinian judge last week in connection with the attack.
He has been living in the northern English city of Durham since February last year, when he entered the country on a student visa to study at Durham University.
Soleimanpour, wearing a blue windbreaker and white polo shirt, appeared at London’s Bow Street Magistrates Court to hear charges against him in the first phase of a complicated British extradition process that would normally take months to conclude.
His defence lawyer said Soleimanpour should be granted bail because he had never tried to hide since the charges were made.
“He did nothing about it to avoid the public eye,” defence lawyer Michel Massih said. “This is not one of those cases where he has been lurking in the corner for years.”
He said Soleimanpour had worked in Tehran and Geneva since the bombing and was in Durham studying for a post-graduate degree in environmental studies.
IRAN REACTS: Iran reacted angrily on Friday to Britain’s arrest of its former envoy to Argentina, saying international arrest warrants issued by a Buenos Aires court over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish charities building were illegal.
“Argentina should be held politically and legally responsible for this action, which is not in line with international rules,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told AFP.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will follow up the case through the necessary channels to free its citizen, and we will talk to the British and ask them for the necessary explanations,” he said.—AFP
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.