‘Plan was to target diplomats in 3 capitals’

The attack on the Israeli diplomat as payback for the assassinations of three Iranian scientists in two years’ time was an ‘international conspiracy’ through and through, police claimed.

The attack on the Israeli diplomat as payback for the assassinations of three Iranian scientists in two years’ time was an ‘international conspiracy’ through and through, police claimed.

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Moreover, the Iranian national who executed it on Indian soil had also been to the capitals of two other countries, police sources said. Here too, similar attacks were planned which were supposed to be a part of a semi-global and synchronised attack on Israeli diplomats. One of them failed while the other was foiled.

“Through technical investigation and surveillance, the movements of Houshang Irani, who stuck the magnetic explosive to the car, have also been traced to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital,” said a police officer.

“Though we are still in the process of verifying it, we have reasons to suspect that Irani, who seems to have been the main field operative for this module, had also been to Bangkok before February 13.”

Investigations along similar lines, police claimed, helped them zero in on Mohammad Ahmed Kazmi, the journalist who was arrested on March 6.

Kazmi’s interrogation has revealed that he was in ‘indirect touch’ with Sedaghatzadeh Masoud, the operational commander of the global terror module. Masoud was one of the three Iranians who were poised to target Israeli diplomats in Bangkok on February 14 through Irani.

“The entire plot had been in the works since January last year. Masoud, who had managed to escape the Thai capital after an accidental explosion at a flat, was arrested from Malaysia. Irani, who stuck the sticky bomb also took a flight to Malaysia after the attack. The plans seems to be to meet at a pre-decided location there before heading back to Tehran through unofficial routes,” the officer said.