Argentina has formally requested Interpol to issue an arrest notice for Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian interior minister. This action follows a recent court ruling in Argentina that held Iran responsible for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, resulting in the deaths of 85 individuals.
Less than two weeks after the court ruling, Argentina has urged Interpol to issue a “red notice” for Vahidi, who was recently in Pakistan as part of an Iranian delegation now visiting Sri Lanka. Argentina has also requested the cooperation of both Pakistan and Sri Lanka in detaining Vahidi.
A “red notice” alerts law enforcement agencies in member countries about internationally wanted individuals, although it does not serve as an arrest warrant. The decision to apprehend someone flagged by a red notice rests with the member country’s authorities.
Vahidi, who previously headed the overseas operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (ICRGC), has been implicated by Argentina as one of the masterminds behind the 1994 bombing. The attack on the Jewish community center remains the deadliest in Argentina’s history, with 300 people injured in addition to the 85 fatalities.
Despite Argentina’s accusations, Iran has consistently denied any involvement in the bombing. However, on April 11, Argentina’s highest criminal court, the Court of Cassation, determined that Iran had orchestrated the attack, with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah carrying it out. The court classified the bombing as a “crime against humanity.”
In response to the court’s ruling, the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claims as “baseless and unsubstantiated,” attributing them to political motivations.
Argentina, which hosts Latin America’s largest Jewish community, has been a repeated target of terrorism against Jewish institutions. In addition to the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center, Argentina also holds Iran and Hezbollah responsible for a prior attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which claimed 29 lives.