DOJ Charges Hezbollah Operative for Deadly 1994 Argentina Bombing
After nearly 30 years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged a high-ranking member of the group Hezbollah for his involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina that killed 85 people.
Terrorism charges were filed in Manhattan federal court against Samuel Salman El Reda. The 58-year-old El Reda is a dual Colombian-Lebanese citizen and an alleged leader of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO). Prosecutors say El Reda directed decades of terrorist activity on behalf of the IJO throughout South America, Asia, and Lebanon.
“This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division.
As for the 1994 bombing, court documents say that El Reda relayed information to IJO operatives that was used for planning and executing the attack, which occurred when a bomb laden with explosives was driven into the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building on July 18, 1994. Eighty-five people were killed and over 300 were injured.
In the decades since the attack, court documents say El Reda continued to take part in terrorist activities on behalf of Hezbollah, and recruited, trained, and managed IJO operatives around the world. Those operatives took part in pre-attack surveillance and stockpiled chemicals needed to make explosives, including engaging in surveillance against the Panama Canal.
“The career prosecutors of this office have not forgotten the pain and suffering that El Reda has allegedly caused, and we thank the dedication of our law enforcement partners for pursuing this important case. The Southern District of New York continues to be a leader in prosecuting violent terrorists and terrorist organizations, and we will not rest until those who create chaos and destruction are brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York.
Among the charges El Reda is facing are providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and aiding and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Each of those charges carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York Police Department. The DOJ’s Office of International Affairs assisted.