On Tuesday it was reported that a senior Israeli security official told The Times of Israel the alleged identity of a handler working for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who recruited two Pakistani nationals accused of planning an attack on a Chabad house in Athens.
The handler, identified by the security official as Mohammad Mohsen Reza, is a 65-year-old Pakistani national residing in the Iranian city of Qom. The official further revealed that Reza has been running a network of other Pakistani terrorists, whose aim was to coordinate attacks on Western targets for the IRGC.
Greek media reported that the suspects, Irtaza Haider, 27, and Hussein Abid, 29, were allegedly in the final stages of plotting an attack on the Chabad house and were apprehended last week.
The two suspects were allegedly seen surveilling the Chabad house in the weeks leading up to their arrests. Reports also allege that they failed to obtain guns for the attack and were advised by their handler to purchase propane tanks for a possible bombing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the Israeli intelligence agencies for aiding Greek law enforcement in preventing the attack.
