Netherlands summons Iranian ambassador over alleged assassination attempts
THE HAGUE - Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned on Thursday after the Dutch intelligence agency said it suspected Tehran of being behind two assassination attempts in Europe, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
The Dutch general intelligence agency, known as the AIVD, said in its annual report published on Thursday that two men were arrested in June 2024 in the Dutch town of Haarlem after an assassination attempt there on an Iranian residing in the country.
One of the suspects is also suspected of the failed assassination attempt on Spanish politician and Iran critic Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid in November 2023, it said.
"The two assassination attempts fit into the modus operandi that Iran has been using for years: using criminal networks in Europe to silence purported opponents of the regime. Based on intelligence, it is likely that Iran is responsible for the two liquidation attempts," the AIVD said.
Several months after surviving the shooting attack, Vidal-Quadras, who co-founded the Spanish far-right party Vox, said he believed that Iran's government had hired hitmen to assassinate him over his links to an Iranian dissident group, without providing evidence of the assertion. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israel used long-planned subterfuge in attack on Iranian nuclear targets, Israeli sources say
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS People gather near a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS People gather on a street, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS JERUSALEM - Israel sent Mossad commandos deep into Iran to destroy Iranian weapons systems during Israel's attack on nuclear and military targets, an Israeli security source said, while another official said Israel used a ploy to suggest the strike was not imminent. The Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the clandestine nature of the operations, described secret and lengthy preparations that went into an attack that sent oil prices sharply higher on fears of regional escalation. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts. Iranian officials who spoke to Reuters shortly before the attack had been dismissive about any imminent action and repeatedly said talk of strikes was just "psychological pressure" to influence U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations that were due on Sunday. Iran has not given a detailed account of what its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called "unlawful and cowardly attacks", but it has promised a harsh response. Iran's mission at the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Israel's covert operation and other subterfuge related to the attacks. Ahead of the strike, Israel gave the impression its focus was still on U.S. diplomacy towards a nuclear deal with Iran, briefing journalists that its spy chief would go to Washington before the next negotiations. Instead, Israel said it sent 200 warplanes to conduct a wave of air strikes across Iran before dawn on Friday, hitting nuclear facilities and missile factories, and killing military commanders and nuclear scientists, in a culmination of its efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely civilian. The Israeli security source said Israel's military and Mossad had worked for years on the intelligence needed for the strikes, which killed the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps among others. The security source said Mossad commandos had covertly deployed weapons across Iran, including explosive drones that were launched at a surface-to-surface missile base near Tehran. The Mossad commandos also fired precision-guided weapons systems at Iranian surface-to-air missile systems as the Israeli attack got underway, reducing the threat to Israeli warplanes. A grainy black and white video distributed by Mossad showed what it said were the organization's operational force - two camouflaged figures crouched in what looks like desert terrain, deploying the precision weapons system meant to destroy Iran's air defence systems. Some of the operation's components would have taken years to be put together, said Sima Shine, a former chief Mossad analyst and now a researcher at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). The decision to strike Iran was made on Monday, the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone, when Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir decided the operation would begin on Friday, said a second source, an Israeli defence official. Their discussion was held after the conversation between Trump and Netanyahu, a third official, close to Netanyahu, said. PRESS BRIEFINGS The final green light was given by Netanyahu's security cabinet, which convened on Thursday night. In the days leading up to the strikes, Israel played out a ploy to create the impression an attack was not imminent, according to a fourth source, also an Israeli official. False reports suggesting that a rift between Israel and the United States had emerged during Netanyahu and Trump's phone call on Monday were not denied, the fourth source said. A press release about a visit by Katz, Zamir and the head of Israel's Air Force Tomer Bar to an air force base mentioned Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon - but not Iran. The fourth source said that the ruse included misleading information given in press briefings. As the attack unfolded in the early hours of Friday, some Israeli journalists pointed to one such briefing, according to which Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad Head David Barnea were to be sent to Washington ahead of the next round of nuclear talks on Sunday. Dermer later appeared seated with Netanyahu at Israel's defence headquarters bunker in Tel Aviv, in a video distributed by the prime minister's office. A fifth, military source said that Israel had been able to surprise Iran but since the operation was not over, there could be "difficult days" ahead. Iran, which fired ballistic missiles at Israel when they traded blows last year, has promised "harsh punishment" in response to the attack. Israel said it had intercepted many of the 100 drones launched towards Israeli territory in retaliation. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ye makes surprise appearance at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
Sean \"Diddy\" Combs listens as lawyer Teny Geragos (not seen) cross-examines \"Jane\" during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 12, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY The jury sit during Sean \"Diddy\" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 12, 2025, in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg The jury sit during Sean \"Diddy\" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 12, 2025, in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg NEW YORK - Ye made a surprise appearance at Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial on Friday, expressing support for his fellow rapper as he defends against sex trafficking charges. Dressed all in white, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, arrived at the Manhattan federal courthouse in a Maybach, and entered through a public entrance. Ye nodded when asked by a reporter whether he was there to support Combs. He left the courthouse about 35 minutes later. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, and if convicted could face life in prison. He has been held in a Brooklyn jail since his September arrest. Ye has also faced controversy for antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks, prompting businesses such as Adidas to sever ties. He appeared shortly after a Homeland Security special agent completed testimony about firearms and other items that law enforcement found in a March 2024 raid of Combs' Los Angeles home. Jonathan Perez, a former personal assistant to Combs, testified after the agent. During a trial break, outside the jury's presence, prosecutor Maurene Comey renewed her complaint about Combs' "nodding emphatically" at times about testimony he agreed with, on concern his gestures might influence jurors. Combs allegedly made similar gestures during testimony last week. Brian Steel, one of Combs' lawyers, denied that his client's in-court conduct was improper. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversees the trial, said he would try to watch for inappropriate gestures, but that it was normal to react to testimony and "impossible to police" everyone. Prosecutors are expected to continue their case next week, after which Combs' legal team can begin his defense. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US gave regional allies heads up on Israel's planned attack on Iran
A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department informed a number of regional allies in the Middle East of Israel's looming strike on Iran hours before the attack took place, three sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. In a diplomatic note sent out Thursday afternoon, the State Department confirmed that the Israeli attack was set to take place late on Thursday. Qatar was among the countries which received the heads up. Washington was not involved in Israel's operation and was not providing any support, the note said, adding that President Donald Trump has been very clear on his desire for peace in the region but at the same time has been firm that Tehran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
