Argentina moves eight alleged Iranian and Hezbollah figures to trial for 1995 AMIA bombing
An Argentine court ordered seven Iranians and one Lebanese national to stand trial in absentia for the 1995 AMIA bombing that killed 85 people.
In a landmark decision, an Argentine federal court charged seven Iranian officials and one Lebanese Hezbollah member with participation in the 1995 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 and injured over 300. Judge Daniel Rafecas described the act as a crime against humanity ordered by senior Iranian leaders and executed by Hezbollah. The eight defendants, including former intelligence minister Ali Fallahijan, former foreign minister Ali Velayati, and operative Salman Raouf Salman, were each hit with a $500 million lien.
Iran has refused extradition, so the trial will be conducted in absentia using a procedure adopted under President Javier Milei’s government. Justice Minister Juan Bautista Mahiques called the ruling a milestone in the fight against impunity, while the Argentine ambassador to Israel, Axel Wahnish, called it a moment of justice after decades of inaction.
Why it matters
It marks the first time Argentina can prosecute the alleged masterminds of its deadliest terror attack despite their absence.
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