Iranian diplomat jailed for 20 years over Paris bomb plot


  • English
  • Arabic

A Belgian court on Thursday sentenced an Iranian diplomat to 20 years in jail for plotting a bomb attack on an opposition rally in the most high-profile case of Tehran-backed terrorism in Europe since the 1979 revolution.

Assadollah Assadi was convicted by a panel of three judges in Antwerp, Belgium, of planning and preparing the failed attack on a meeting of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in June 2018.

The main target of the attack was believed to be Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the dissidents' group.

A husband-and-wife team of bombers, Amir Saadouni and Nasimeh Naami, who were intercepted by Belgian police on the way to the rally on the outskirts of Paris were sentenced to 15 and 18 years in jail respectively. A fourth agent was sentenced to 17 years.

The verdict was delivered amid tight security in Antwerp, where armed officers guarded the court and a police helicopter flew overhead. Visitors were subject to rigorous security checks with sniffer dogs and metal detectors.

Assadi was not in court to hear the verdicts after refusing to appear at his trial and claiming that he should have been allowed diplomatic immunity.

Assadi brought the explosives for the plot with him on a commercial flight to Austria from Iran. He then passed the bomb to a Belgian-Iranian couple at a Pizza Hut restaurant in Luxembourg, two days before the attack, while on a tour of castles with his family.

A police officer stands guard outside the court building in Antwerp, Belgium February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
A police officer stands guard outside the court building in Antwerp, Belgium February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

The device contained 500 grammes of TATP that would have killed, the court heard.

“To detonate this explosive at the conference would have caused deaths — because of the explosion and because of the chaos an explosion would have caused,” Luc Potargent, head of the panel of three judges said.

Assadi gave the bombers instructions how to prepare, protect and transport the device. In a notebook found in his car, there were notes about attacks with other toxic materials.

“By planning this attack, they have made Iranian refugees that tried to find a safe haven in Europe feel unsafe," the judge said. "A serious punishment is appropriate. It was an attack to their freedom of speech.”

Assadi was arrested in Germany in the wake of the failed bombing and extradited after a court ruled that his immunity did not apply outside of Austria.

The Belgian court said that Assadi, described as one of Iran’s most senior intelligence officials in Europe, did not have the right for immunity because he was not on diplomatic duty.

“He was clearly going on vacation with his family,” said the judge.

“The defendant is being accused of planning a potentially deadly attack and smuggling an explosive device from Iran under diplomatic cover. We can hardly consider he was performing diplomatic acts.”

The target was the NCRI rally on June 30, 2018, attended by about 25,000 people including Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and legal adviser to former US president Donald Trump.

Left: Assadollah Assadi has been sentenced to jail for conspiring to blow up a dissidents' rally, right: NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi, in blue, flanked by some of the attendees of the 2018 conference outside Paris, targeted in an Iranian bomb plot. US Embassy Iran/AFP
Left: Assadollah Assadi has been sentenced to jail for conspiring to blow up a dissidents' rally, right: NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi, in blue, flanked by some of the attendees of the 2018 conference outside Paris, targeted in an Iranian bomb plot. US Embassy Iran/AFP

The botched attack was thought to have been approved at the highest levels in Tehran and the case has added new tension to relations between Iran and European governments.

It comes at a sensitive time for Western relations with Iran as new US President Joe Biden is considering whether to lift sanctions on reimposed on the country by his predecessor Mr Trump and rejoin fellow world powers in the historic 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran.

Iran has said that it will not accept the validity of any conviction having described the botched attack as a “false flag” operation by NCRI to lay blame on Iran, and a “complex trap”. It considers NCRI a terrorist group.

Ms Rajavi called for the closure of Iranian embassies in Europe, the expulsion of its agents and the dismantling of its spying network.

NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi, in blue, flanked by some of the attendees of the 2018 conference outside Paris, targeted in an Iranian bomb plot. AFP
NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi, in blue, flanked by some of the attendees of the 2018 conference outside Paris, targeted in an Iranian bomb plot. AFP

“If these measures are not taken, it means that the Iranian regime is paying no price for its crimes,” Ms Rajavi said. “It is the regime in its entirety which is being judged in this trial — it is about state terrorism.”

Assadi — who was said to be running a Europe-wide spying network — warned authorities in March of possible retaliation by unidentified groups in the event of a guilty plea.

Belgium’s state security officers said he worked for Department 312, the directorate for internal security, at the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which is on the European Union’s list of organisations regarded as terrorist.

One of the main responsibilities of MOIS is to conduct covert operations against the opposition abroad and to “identify and eliminate its members”, according to a 2012 report for US Congress.

The verdicts raise fears of Iranian retaliation against dual-national prisoners held in the country, who have been used as bargaining chips in Tehran's broader battles.

Here, The National profiles his plotters:

Amir Saadouni — jailed for 15 years

A former supporter — if not member — of the group he was sent to attack, Amir Saadouni, 40, was described as naive and easily manipulated by both his wife and Assadi. He says that he was the subject of a long-period of grooming by Iranian agents and only met Assadi in 2015 after approaches by two other people, he claimed. He confessed to his role in the plot when questioned by officers and claimed that the blast was not intended to hurt anyone — a claim dismissed by the Belgian court. Friends told The National after his arrest that he only claimed to be a dissident to prove that he was fleeing from oppression to secure Belgian citizenship. A friend who claimed to have known him for 15 years said that he was a kind man who worked in a shop and a port warehouse and enjoyed playing football and computer games. Saadouni told detectives that “due to all the stress”, he and his wife were getting divorced.

Nasimeh Naami — jailed for 18 years

Two stories emerged of Nasimeh Naami, 36, following her arrest. Friends said she worked a few nights a week in a shop and was a creature of routine. To investigators, she was a highly manipulative woman with closer links to Iran’s ministry of intelligence than she was letting on. She always travelled with her husband to meet Assadi and they received thousands of euros for their work from the spymaster — money they have now been told to pay back. The couple were said to have met online while she was still in Belgium and moved to Belgium where they lived together in a rented flat. She even manipulated her own husband by creating a fake identity online and pretending to be a woman from Iran called 'Negar' to flirt with her husband, talk to him about the plot and urge him to place the explosive inside the convention hall.

Mehrdad Arefani — jailed for 17 years

The Belgium-based Arefani promoted himself as a dissident poet and writer who claimed to have fled to Europe about two decades ago to avoid persecution. The 57 year old was on the fringes of the movement but was in reality the eyes and ears of Assadi for the Iranian operation. Spying equipment was found at his home in Brussels, including spectacles with a hidden camera and photographs of the offices of the dissident group the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran, which was targeted in the plot. His role had been to guide the couple at the rally — but they never got there. He was well-paid for his work and police confiscated €226,000 ($270,500) that he had been paid by Assadi, the court was told. He was the only one of the four defendants to appear in court for the sentencing.

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutsized%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2016%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAzeem%20Zainulbhai%2C%20Niclas%20Thelander%2C%20Anurag%20Bhalla%20and%20Johann%20van%20Niekerk%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndia%2C%20South%20Africa%2C%20South-East%20Asia%2C%20Mena%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Recruitment%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20staff%20count%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2040%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeed%20and%20angel%20investors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.

Europe's top EV producers
  1. Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
  2. Iceland (33%)
  3. Netherlands (20%)
  4. Sweden (19%)
  5. Austria (14%)
  6. Germany (14%)
  7. Denmark (13%)
  8. Switzerland (13%)
  9. United Kingdom (12%)
  10. Luxembourg (10%)

Source: VCOe 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

THE APPRENTICE

Director: Ali Abbasi

Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 3/5

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m