Argentine Police Arrest Three Foreigners in Alleged Terrorist Plot

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Facts

  • Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said on Wednesday that three foreign men believed to be of Syrian and Lebanese origin but whose identities and nationalities have yet to be confirmed were arrested on Saturday for allegedly planning a terrorist act as the South American country hosts the Pan-American Maccabiah Games.1
  • The trio, linked to the shipment of a 35-kilo package from Yemen, was detained in three separate raids — two of them in Buenos Aires and another in Avellaneda — carried out under the orders of Judge María Servini. One of the detainees had a Colombian and a Venezuelan passport in his name.2
  • Bullrich detailed that Argentina, which has the largest Jewish community in Latin America, received intelligence from Israel and the US on the potential threat — including that the suspects had made bookings at a hotel near the Israeli Embassy.3
  • The Pan-American Maccabiah Games are expected to gather some 4K members of Jewish communities from across the Western Hemisphere in Buenos Aires. Police have been paying extra attention to the security of the event following email threats and reports of people reportedly acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy.4
  • Argentine Pres. Javier Milei reasserted his 'unalterable commitment to the State of Israel and to the Jewish people in their fight against Islamic terrorism, for peace and freedom' during the opening ceremony, which was attended by roughly 10K people — including the US and Israeli ambassadors to Argentina.5
  • Two anti-Jewish terror attacks have taken place in Argentina in the past, killing 114 people. 29 died when a suicide bomber drove a truck with explosives into the Israeli embassy in 1992, while the 1994 bombing of the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish cultural center claimed the lives of 85 people.6

Sources: 1Buenos Aires Herald, 2Buenos Aires Times, 3France 24, 4Jerusalem Post, 5The Times of Israel and 6BBC News.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Wilson Center. Anti-Jewish terrorism in Argentina has erupted periodically for decades — prompting the US and its Latin American allies to form tighter intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation. As the West has shifted much of its focus toward Russia and China, it cannot forget about the rebound of Islamic terrorism spreading from the Middle East to South America. Washington must bolster its partnerships with countries including Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay if they want to stop more terrorist acts from occurring.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Middle East Monitor. While there may be planned terrorist plots in Western countries today, it's also important to understand Israel's history, from decades ago to 9/11 to today's conflict in Gaza, of meddling in the region to garner global support. Israel has propped up dictators in places such as Argentina and Chile to grow its global arms trade in the West and agenda in the Middle East. To top it all off, Israel has been protected by the US as the two superpowers work in tandem to expand their so-called 'war on terror.'

Predictions