Two Argentine citizens with suspected links to the Hezbollah terrorist group were arrested on Thursday ahead of the G20 summit due to take place in Buenos Aires at the end of the month, Argentina’s security ministry said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The two men, aged 23 and 25, were arrested in a residence in the capital. Police discovered a small arsenal that included a rifle, one shotgun and a number of pistols, among other weapons.
Police said they discovered evidence of travel abroad “along with credentials in Arabic and an image of the Hezbollah flag.”
Police did not specify the nature of the travel or credentials, and also did not specify whether the two suspects intended to attack the G20 event.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said on Thursday security forces were on the lookout for any suspicious activity ahead of the conference.
Hezbollah has been linked to the 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people, and the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85.
In July, Argentina froze the assets of the Barakat Group, also known as the Barakat Clan, a criminal organization linked to Hezbollah, which operates in the area known as the “Triple border” made up of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
Earlier this year, the US and Argentina agreed to work together to cut off Hezbollah funding networks and money laundering financing terrorism across Latin America.