An indictment filed this weekend in the US discloses that Iran planned a mass shooting attack on Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka close the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, and also attempted to assassinate two Jewish businessmen, because of their prominent pro-Israel activity on social media. The indictment further disclosed that the FBI thwarted a plan by Iranian agents to assassinate American and Israeli targets, including President-elect Donald Trump.
Ynet reports that according to the indictment, a man named Farhad Shakuri was instructed to carry out a mass shooting attack in the Arugam Bay area, a popular destination among Israeli tourists. Shakuri ordered his assistant, who was later arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities, to conduct surveillance of the area and lead the terrorist squad with AK-47 rifles and other weapons which were provided to him.
On October 23, the governments of Israel and the US issued a joint warning to travelers about a real threat of an attack in the Arugam Bay area, especially at a time when the Arugam Bay area is particularly flooded with tourists. A day later, authorities in Sri Lanka reported the arrest of three suspects, including a man identified as Shakuri's assistant, who was also given the task of monitoring the Israeli consulate in the island state.
The indictment further states that Shakuri was instructed to assassinate two Jewish businessmen in New York in exchange for $1 million or $500,000 per person. Shakuri was given pictures of the businessmen from social networks and told to do the job cleanly and immediately. The two, whose names were not published, became a central target for Tehran due to their pro-Israel activity on social networks.
New details were added to those revealed last Friday, that Shakuri received a new mission on October 7 of this year; to prepare a plan to track, and ultimately kill, Trump.
Besides Trump and the Israeli targets, Shakuri, together with two Americans, Carlyle Rivera, known as "Pop," 49, and Jonathan Ludholt, 36, who he met in prison, also aimed at an American journalist of Iranian origin due to her harsh criticism against the regime in Tehran. In recent years Masih Alinejad, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, published a series of media articles and interviews accusing the Iranian regime of serious human rights violations, including rights of women, minorities and opponents of the regime.
Alinejad has been a major target of other assassination plots in the past, including one last month, and has become one of the leading figures in the international protest against the Ayatollah regime. Despite the ongoing threats to her life, Alinejad continues her activities, and has received a lot of support from the US government and law enforcement officials.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied the Americans' accusations, calling them baseless and "a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by Zionist and anti-Iranian circles, whose aim is to further complicate ties between the US and Iran."
