Canada foils Iran's plan to assassinate former minister Irwin Cotler: Report
Irwin Cotler has been on Iran’s radar for his campaign to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.
Canada has reportedly foiled an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate a former justice minister and rights activist, who has been a critic of Tehran.
According to a report by Globe and Mail, Irwin Cotler, 84, was informed on October 26 that he faced an imminent threat of assassination from Iranian agents.
The newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said authorities tracked two suspects in the plot. However, it remains unclear whether they have been arrested or fled the country.
Cotler previously served as justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2015 but has remained active through campaigns for human rights worldwide.
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He has been on Iran’s radar for his global campaign since 2008 to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] as a terrorist group, Globe and Mail reported. Cotler has also represented Iranian political prisoners and is a strong supporter of Israel.
Under protection
The 84-year-old has been under RCMP protection, with bulletproof vehicles and heavily armed officers, for more than a year since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Right, where Cotler is international chair, have also confirmed the Globe and Mail report. A spokesperson said Cotler "has no knowledge or details regarding any arrests made" in connection with the case.
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A spokesperson for Canada's public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc, however, declined to comment on the report. "We cannot comment on, nor confirm specific RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) operations due to security reasons."
Canada, which severed diplomatic ties with Iran more than a decade ago, in June had listed the Revolutionary Guard as a banned terror group, according to AFP.
It said at the time that Iranian authorities displayed a consistent "disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order."
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(Inputs from AFP)
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