Assadollah A. worked for the Iranian embassy in Vienna, is said to have planned a murder, was arrested in Germany and extradited to Belgium. Now he is released as part of a prisoner swap.
In 2018, authorities prevented a bomb attack allegedly ordered by Tehran at an event organized by the Iranian government in exile (“National Council of the Resistance of Iran”; NCRI) and its president Maryam Rajavi near Paris .
The mastermind is said to have been Assadollah A., who has served as third counselor at the Iranian embassy in Vienna since 2015. The diplomat was arrested in Germany on his way back to Austria, extradited to Belgium and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021.
According to a NRWI document in the possession of the “Krone”, Assadollah A. personally brought the bomb from Tehran in a passenger plane via diplomatic baggage to Vienna and from there to the murderers in Luxembourg.
Now Assadollah A. has been released. Because Belgium and Iran have signed a secret agreement. The agreement provides for the possibility for Brussels and Tehran to exchange prisoners. In exchange for Assadollah A., a Belgian employee of an NGO imprisoned in Iran is released.
A spokesman for the Iranian government-in-exile spoke to the “Krone” about Iran’s tried-and-true tactics of “hostage diplomacy” and called the deal a “disgrace”.
The agreement has yet to be ratified in the Belgian parliament. It is not yet known when the exchange will take place. Two Austrians are still detained in Iran, despite ongoing protests by the foreign ministry.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
