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Terrorist Bombings in Argentina(1992-1994)In 1992 and 1994, two bombs devastated the Argentinean Jewish community and marked the arrival, for the first time, of Middle Eastern terrorism to South America. While the two cases, which are thought to be related, have been officially under investigation for over nine years, little progress has been made, and the responsible parties have not yet been apprehended. Argentina's Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was the sight of the first explosion, a car bomb, on March 17, 1992. The bomb killed 29, and injured over 250. Among the victims were Israeli diplomats, children and clergy from a church located across the street, and other passerby. The investigation of the case was assigned to Argentina's Supreme Court. Chief Justice Ricardo Levene was given the task of investigating and presenting his findings to the court. For over two years, however, the investigation languished, and virtually no action was taken, despite the fact that Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the explosion immediately after it happened. It was not until July 18, 1994, that the case again received serious attention. On that date, the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires was bombed; 87 people were killed, and over 100 injured. Judge Jose Galeano was assigned to investigate, but, like Judge Levene, he made little progress. Later in 1994 came the first of several breakthroughs in the embassy bombing case. Six Lebanese and one Brazilian, arrested for operating a drug cache, were found to be members of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist organization. The Argentine government announced that the men were tied to the embassy bombing. After several days, however, the suspects were released due to a lack of evidence. Interest in the two cases rose again in 1996 when the Argentine National Academy of Engineers revealed an "internal explosion theory." According to their findings, a bomb had detonated inside of the Israeli Embassy rather than outside in a car, as was first assumed. This theory would indicate that the Israeli Embassy was attacked by an Israeli worker rather than by an enemy terrorist. The engineers blatantly ignored the evidence that indicated a bomb had been set off in a car outside the building. The fact that the Islamic Jihad had admitted responsibility for the attack did not seem to deter the engineers and the Supreme Court from blaming Israelis for their own bombing. Finally, in 1998, a telephone call intercepted from the Iranian embassy in Argentina demonstrated conclusively that Iran had been involved in the attack on the embassy. Argentina immediately expelled six of the seven Iranian diplomats in the country. But that was the extent of their action, and it has never been determined which individuals were culpable for the attack. Although the judicial system in Argentina has neglected investigating attacks on the Israeli Embassy and the Jewish community center, other Argentine politicians have expressed their concern for the issue. There is, however, nothing that the legislative branch can do because the case is controlled by the Supreme Court. As of the summer of 2005, the cases remain dormant. No suspects are in custody and the Supreme Court has not expressed an intention to move forward in either of the cases. In fact, Justice Juan Galeano In fact, Justice Juan Galeano has been impeached for allegedly paying a witness $400,000 to change his testimony and for burning incriminating evidence. It is possible that Galeano will be charged for his unethical conduct (JTA). Both Argentine and international Jewish organizations are pushing for a continuation in the investigation of the attacks. On July 12, 2005, President Nestor Kirchner formally admitted past Argentine government's culpability in the investigation of the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing. He stated that the government witheld crucial information that could have solved the case. An Iranian terrorist organization is still the suspected party, but Kirchner claims that much of the responsibility should fall on the past Argentine government because of their poor handling of the attack In November 2005, an Argentine prosecutor said Alberto Nisman, a 21-year-old from Lebanon was the suicide bomber who blew up the AMIA. Nisman said the man belonged to Hezbollah. According to Nisman, relatives identified the man from photographs. The probe into the bombing, he said, had not ruled out an Iranian connection. Sources: BBC News (September 17, 2003) B'nai B'rith. Reports and Analyses. Seven Years and Counting: The 1992 Israeli Embassy Bombing in Buenos Aires, (March 1999). Jewish Telegraphic Agency, (July 14 & November 10, 2005) Jerusalem Report, (January 29, 2001) |
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