Why won't the Iranians Leave the Jews Alone?
Copyright 2001 Chicago Tribune Company
Chicago Tribune
September 25, 2001 Tuesday, FINAL EDITION
HEADLINE: 20 on trial in Argentina in bombing fatal to 86
BYLINE: By Serena Parker, Associated Press.
DATELINE: BUENOS AIRES
BODY:
Fifteen former police officers and five other people went on trial Monday, accused of aiding in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in the Argentine capital. Eight-six people died.
Among an array of charges, the defendants are accused of supplying the stolen van used in the attack, but none is suspected of direct involvement in the bombing. Those facing the most serious charge--being an accessory to the crime--might get a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted.
On July 18, 1994, an explosives-rigged van was driven to the front of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Aid Association and detonated. The attack leveled the seven-story building, a symbol of Argentina's 300,000-member Jewish community, the largest in Latin America.
"I think we're going to have some surprises from witnesses who are going to say more than they have in the past," Eamon Mullen, one of the prosecutors, said prior to the trial's opening arguments.
The trial is expected to last up to 10 months. It is the most significant for Argentina's justice system since the trial of military officers for human-rights violations soon after the 1976-83 dictatorship.
It also is attracting worldwide attention after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and calls to punish terrorists and their supporters.
Prosecutors accuse the defendants of being part of a stolen-car ring responsible for the sale and delivery of the van used in the attack. But the crime remains unsolved, and many in Argentina's Jewish community said they hope the trial will bring new impetus to finding the masterminds.
Leading the list of defendants is Juan Jose Ribelli, a former Buenos Aires provincial police chief. He is accused of leading a lucrative gang of police officers detained in the case.
Carlos Alberto Telleldin is accused of being a stolen-car dealer under Ribelli's protection. He is accused of delivering the stolen van to the police gang eight days before the bombing.
"The prosecutor and judge have said they've seen evidence that would link some sponsoring countries--Iran was named in particular--so I would hope we will learn more about this as the trial proceeds," said Leonard Cole, of the New York-based Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an observer to the trial. |
