Statement by PAAIA on Terror Plot in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., October 11, 2011 – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) condemns in the strongest possible terms the plot to assassinate the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to US. This case as outlined in a criminal complaint is an alarming development of concern to all Americans but especially to the Iranian American community.
According to the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, government authorities have foiled an elaborate plot by two individuals with ties to elements of the Iranian government to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States and also bomb the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Israel in Washington, D.C.
At a news conference today, Attorney General Eric Holder explained that two Iranians have been charged with “conspiracy to engage in foreign travel and use of interstate and foreign commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (explosives); and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism transcending national boundaries.” One of the suspects, a naturalized US citizen, was arrested in New York, while the other, an Iranian with alleged ties to Iranian Revolutionary Guards, remains at large.
“We condemn this senseless and intolerable alleged terror plot in the United States,” explained Ali Mojdehi, Chairman of PAAIA. “The plot is a shameful attack on our values. The Iranian American community applauds our law enforcement agencies for their vigilance in disrupting the plot and appeals to all citizens and the media not to come to any generalized conclusions about the Iranian American community or the Iranian people from the suspected acts.”
Iranian Americans, many of whom have made and continue to make outstanding contributions to the economic and social life of America, unequivocally condemn violence and terrorism. PAAIA fully endorses our Government’s legitimate efforts to address our homeland security needs and protect citizenry and all residents from acts of violence or coercion.
About PAAIA
The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonreligious national membership organization that serves the domestic interests of Iranian Americans and represents the community before U.S. policymakers and the American public at large. PAAIA works to foster greater understanding of our community and its cultural heritage and to expand opportunities for the active participation of Iranian Americans in the democratic process at all levels of government.
