The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Samuel Salman El Reda over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of an Argentine Jewish community center Wednesday.
El Reda, a 58-year-old dual national of Colombia and Lebanon, was charged with conspiracy to provide as well as actually providing “material support” to Hezbollah, a designated terror organization, and assisting others in receiving as well as “conspiring to receive” military training from the organization, a DOJ press release stated. (RELATED: It Only Took 56 Days For UN Women To Condemn Hamas’ Mass Rapes Of Israelis)
Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against High-Ranking Hezbollah Member Who Helped Plan 1994 Bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentinahttps://t.co/HrvSO2oUvn pic.twitter.com/Xjtl3iJtOz
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) December 20, 2023
The DOJ release said all these charges combined would amount to a maximum of 55 years in prison if El Reda was found guilty on all counts.
El Reda’s claim to fame was his alleged involvement in the deadly 1994 bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish community center in Argentina, according to the DOJ press release.
“Nearly three decades ago, long-time Hezbollah terrorist operative Samuel Salman El Reda allegedly helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said. “This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice.”
The DOJ alleged El Reda’s links to Hezbollah go back to at least 1993, and he has allegedly been an active participant in Hezbollah for decades after this infamous attack.
“The single deadliest antisemitic attack in more than half a century, the AMIA bombing underscored [Hezbollah]’s global ambitions and is a clear example of Iran’s support of international terrorism,” the US Embassy in Israel said of the 1994 bombing in 2022. The embassy press release further detailed Iran’s alleged involvement in the bombing.