US Accuses Iran of Assassination Bomb Plot in Washington DC

By CP News Briefs, Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Iran has been accused of plotting to assassinate a diplomat on U.S. soil today. United States Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters in a news conference this afternoon that a plot by "factions of the Iranian government" to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States has been foiled.

"The United States is committed to hold Iran accountable for its actions," Holder told reporters.

He also said that the plot was “conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran.”

Two men, identified as Manssor Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri have been charged with planning to assassinate the ambassador and to attack the embassies, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department.

One of the men is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Arbabsiar is said to have “confessed” to his role in the alleged plot, says Holder.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said in the news conference that many lives could have been lost in the plot to kill the ambassador, with bombs planned to hit the United States mainland.

Holder said the White House, State Department and Department of the Treasury will be taking further action in as little as a few hours, reports USA Today.

The plot also involved bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington DC.