The FBI-style sting in the tail of the Saudi ambassador 'assassination plot'

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:




Wednesday, in Manhattan's federal courthouse, the southern district of New York, an Iranian-American citizen – Mansour Arbabsiar – was indicted on terrorism and related charges. According to authorities, Arbabsiar's arrest was the culmination of an FBI-style DEA sting operation focused on the Iranian-born, 56-year-old US citizen who, according to the criminal complaint, conspired with individuals in Iran, including members of the Quds Force (an arm of the Iranian revolutionary guard), to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

In essence, an oft-questioned mode of indicting alleged terrorists – sting operations based on informants interacting with suspects – was put in play in an arena with potentially far greater consequences: US foreign policy. It is one thing to create a questionable domestic law enforcement strategy against alleged terrorists, and quite another thing to apply that strategy to matters of state.

The merits of this case are – as with all trials until they come to court and especially terrorism trials – in dispute. From all accounts so far, Mansour Arbabsiar, was a man who he had spent his life going from one business to another, most recently, the used car business. Portrayed by neighbors and friends as perpetually in need of money, and often disorganised about his day-to-day life, Arbabsiar, according to the criminal complaint, somehow allegedly became involved in the scheme to funnel $1.5m from the Quds Force to a Mexican drug cartel that agreed to blow up a fictional restaurant in Washington, DC in which the Saudi ambassador would be dining. Towards that end, $100,000 in two sums was allegedly sent from Iran as a downpayment for the crime.

The point person for the drug cartel was a confidential informant working with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). As a result, there has been some speculation already about whether or not this is a case of entrapment. Did the federal agent conduct much or all of the plot? Or did it actually originate with the accused? The complaint asserts that Arbabsiar wanted to participate in the assassination plot even before his encounter with the DEA agent. But the rest of the case and the plot – the who, what, when, where and how of the proposed crime – are disconcertingly unclear. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/13/fbi-sting-saudi-ambassador-assassination-plot