Israel said on Thursday its Mossad intelligence service carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus and thwart the attack.
"In a unique operation on Iranian soil, the Mossad captured the head of the cell, who, during an investigation, gave a detailed confession that led to the exposure and dismantlement of the terrorist cell behind the Cyprus attack," the Mossad said in a statement.
Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment.
Mossad did not say when the capture took place, where the suspect is now nor when the Cyprus attack would have happened. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said an attack had been foiled but did not give details. Cyprus at that time declined to comment.
The Israeli agency identified the suspect as Yousef Shahabazi Abbasalilu and said he "received detailed instructions and weapons from senior (officials) in Iran's Revolutionary Guards" to carry out such an attack.
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