Dutch security report confirms manhunt for Iran's assassin

Iran appears to be hiring killers for hire, according to targeted dissidents

The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service said it has "strong indications" that Iran was involved in the assassination attempt last year of an Iranian dissident living in The Netherlands. (AP Photo/File)Show less

A Dutch report has revealed that Iran's "long tradition" of assassinating dissidents in Europe has seen recent plots involving a Moroccan national who is still on the run.

The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service said it has "strong indications" that Iran was involved in the assassination attempt in June 2024 in the city of Haarlem of activist Siamak Tahmasbi. One of two suspects arrested by Dutch police at the time is also believed to be involved in a 2023 assassination attempt against another Iranian dissident in Spain.

"Iran, in particular, has a long tradition of carrying out attacks on dissidents abroad," said the report, published earlier this month. "Similar incidents likely occurred in Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden."

Titled "Threat Assessment State Actors 2025," the yearly report focuses on threats posed by countries including Russia and Iran on Dutch security interests.

When he saw two men climbing over his balcony last year, Mr Tahmasbi had time to call the police, leading to their arrest - but others were not so lucky. Dutch security services also believe that Iran was behind the killing of two other Iranian dissidents living in the Netherlands in 2015 and 2017.

A third suspect - a Moroccan national - involved in the assassination attempt against Mr Tahmasbi is still on the run. Dutch police has offered €50,000 for information that could lead his arrest.

Among those arrested was a French-born 38-year old delinquent named as Mehrez Ayari, who holds Tunisian citizenship. This appears to indicate a pattern of Iran hiring professional hitmen.

"When I learned about his profile [that of Mehrez Ayari], I was half happy because the police had arrested a big fish, and half worried, because it meant that the Islamic Republic really wanted to kill me: it had sent a professional," Mr Tahmasbi told daily Le Monde last year.

Iranians protesting in Dam Square following the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini. EPA / REMKO DE WAAL

The Dutch report comes as Europe attempts to ramp up pressure on Iran for its involvement in extrajudicial killing. The Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned Iran's ambassador in April over its involvement in the murder of dissidents on Dutch soil.

On July 15, the European Union announced the listing of eight persons and one entity for committing "extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and killings, as well as enforced disappearances" of Iranian critics.

Among those listed was the Zindashti Network criminal group and associates that were involved in the assassination of Iranian dissident Masud Molavi Vardanjani in 2020 in Turkey.