[Killary is right. This plot is so amateurish that it must be real...Right? Wrong! It is a typical Hollywood-type movie scenario for an Inspector Clouseau, or perhaps the Three Stooges. It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest that Iran would plan to bomb a crowded Washington, D.C. restaurant or the Saudi Embassy, if it wanted to assassinate a Saudi official, especially while it is suffering from years of American punitive actions. The obvious repercussions that would have followed such a successful high-profile attack of this magnitude would have prohibited such an insane plan from ever being contemplated in the first place. It is also ridiculous to suggest that Iranians would have sought-out an assassin from the heavily infiltrated Mexican drug cartels. Hillary's suggestion is the cue intended for the American public--this plan is so stupid that only another "underwear bomber" could have thought it up. Iran's Revolutionary Guard would have done much better planning than this.
(Patsy) Manssor Arbabsiar, as he appeared at a court in New York City on Tuesday....LOL
US to pressure Iran over ‘plot to kill Saudi envoy’
The US secretary of state has called for a “very strong message” to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US.
Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions.
Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions.
“The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States,” the alert said.
It urged Americans residing and travelling abroad to review the information available when making travel plans.
Iran has dismissed the allegations as false and baseless.
‘Well-grounded suspicions’
Mrs Clinton praised those involved in the operation to uncover the plot.
“It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended,” she said at a news conference.
“This case will, I think, reinforce the well-grounded suspicions of many countries about what they’re up to.”
Mrs Clinton said the suspected plotters had been trying to involve hired killers from Mexican drug cartels.
“The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?” she said.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Iran’s involvement in the plot was “a flagrant violation of US and international law”.
In a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said: “Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking… We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions.”
US officials have said military action was not being considered.
The US Treasury Department placed five Iranians, including the two men charged, under sanctions on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the plot.
The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran’s Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The other three were described as high-ranking members of the Quds force.
Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said.
A lawyer for Mr Arbabsiar said he would plead not guilty when he was officially indicted.
‘Shocking’
Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran.
US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member.
Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil.
Justice department officials said the initial envisaged target was the Saudi embassy.
But in conversations secretly recorded for the US authorities, Mr Arbabsiar also allegedly considered having the ambassador killed at a purported favourite restaurant, despite the possibility of mass casualties.
The plot would have been carried out with explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger.
Mr Holder said Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, wired $100,000 to a US bank account for the informant as a downpayment.
Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges.
Unnamed US officials also told journalists that the Israeli embassy in Washington was also to have been attacked.
Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a “propaganda campaign” by the US government against Tehran.
The allegations were “a comedy show fabricated by America”, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars.
Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail.
He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said....lol lol
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