Argentina Announces Discovery of Islamic Terrorist Cell Plotting Attacks on Jews

Argentina’s Federal Police forces dismantled this weekend what they described as an Islamic terrorist cell allegedly planning attacks against the Jewish community in the western province of Mendoza.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich announced on Friday evening that federal police officers carried out eight raids on the homes of the group’s members to dismantle the radical Islamic terror cell, resulting in the arrest of seven individuals.

The terrorist cell was identified after it issued threats against a local Jewish journalist, who denounced the threats to the Delegation of Israelite Associations of Argentina (DAIA), prompting local authorities to launch an investigation. Bullrich explained on social media that the now-dismantled cell used messaging platforms to spread hateful messages and attack plans against Mendoza’s Jewish community as well as content from terrorist groups such as ISIS and the Taliban.

“The person responsible [for issuing the threats against the journalist] was identified, and then the group was identified. The police raided the place and brought them all to justice. Inside [a prison],” Bullrich’s message read.

“We are going to get rid of each and every one of these criminals who try to sow fear in Argentines, and they will pay,” the message concluded.

Officials from the local police’s anti-terrorist unit were reportedly able to seize a large number of firearms in the eight raids such as shotguns, rifles, and revolvers, as well as bladed weapons such as knives, daggers, and katanas. The officials also seized electronic devices and a bibliography of Salafi origin.

The investigators determined that the apprehended suspects were actively involved in private groups on the instant messaging services Telegram and WhatsApp where they spread messages with “anti-Christian and anti-Jewish expressions.” There they also reportedly discussed the now-thwarted attack plots against Mendoza’s Jewish community.

Some of the alleged members of the radical Islamic terror cell were arrested at the Cristo Redentor Border Crossing and at the Ezeiza International Airport, which, according to the investigators, suggested that they were attempting to flee the country.

Prior to the discovery of the alleged terror cell, officials with the nation’s Federal Police — following an alert from the FBI — were able to apprehend a 16-year-old in Villa de Mayo in April who stands suspected of accessing an ISIS-related website to obtain information on how to manufacture explosives, reportedly with the intention of staging terrorist attacks. 

While the authorities did not list explosives among the discoveries in the raids this weekend, the minor was in possession of tools such as pliers, glue guns, and testers that are compatible with the manufacture of explosives or the repair of electronic equipment, in addition to chemical materials.

“Now we will have to determine if he was actually making explosives, if he was a lone wolf waiting for orders, or if he was a kid messing around,” a source related to the case told the Argentine news outlet Infobae at the time.

Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in South America, estimated at roughly 200,000. The Argentine Jewish community was the target of two gruesome terrorist attacks in the early 1990s orchestrated by Iran through its proxy, the Shiite jihadist organization Hezbollah.

In 1992, terrorists drove a van filled with explosives into the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, leaving 29 dead and 242 injured. In 1994, terrorists drove another explosives-filled suicide van into the headquarters of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA), a Jewish community center,  killing 85 and leaving hundreds injured.

The AMIA bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the Western Hemisphere prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Argentina commemorated the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing terrorist attack on July 18, 2024.

Although it has been largely believed throughout the past 30 years that Hezbollah executed both attacks on behalf of Iran, numerous local prosecutors, officials, and judicial proceedings working over the course of the past three decades failed to produce a definitive ruling bringing to justice those responsible.

In April, Argentina’s Federal Criminal Cassation Court finally ruled to formally declare Iran and Hezbollah responsible for both terrorist attacks. The court ruling opens the way for the Argentine executive government to present a formal complaint at international courts against Iran for its responsibility in both attacks.

Argentina, which was ruled by socialist governments for 16 of the past 20 years, saw itself ideologically and diplomatically pushed towards Iran, China, Russia, and other rogue authoritarian regimes such as Cuba’s communist Castro regime and Venezuela’s socialist Maduro regime. Argentine President Javier Milei led a “realignment” of the nation’s foreign policy immediately after taking office in December 2023, embracing the United States and Israel as the South American nation’s main allies.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.