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Report: Dhahran bombing mastermind hiding in Iran
March 29, 1997
Web posted at: 9:18 a.m. EST (1418 GMT)NEW YORK (CNN) -- The alleged mastermind behind a bombing that killed 19 U.S. airmen in Saudi Arabia has been living in Iran under the protection of its government since the attack, Newsday reported Saturday. The newspaper also hinted that Syria gave tacit approval for the June 25 bombing near Dhahran.
Quoting unidentified American and Canadian intelligence officials, Newsday reported that the suspect was identified in a Canadian court document filed Thursday as Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmad Mughassil, a Saudi Shiite.
Mughassil fled to Syria after the attack and crossed into Iran, a U.S. counterterrorism specialist close to the bombing investigation told Newsday. Since then, the source said, Mughassil has been living "under the protection of, as a guest of, the Iranian government."
A second source confirmed with the paper Mughassil's presence in Iran, but, without elaboration, added that he and other bombing suspects "may be moving around."
Both Iran and Syria have denied any connection to the bombing.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the reports and what kind of response if any the Clinton administration is considering.
Newsday said the Canadian document was filed in a deportation hearing against another suspect in the case, Hani al-Sayegh, 28. Al-Sayegh allegedly drove the car that signaled the go-ahead to the driver of the fuel truck, which was packed with explosives. He is also linked to a branch of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.
The New York Times reported Saturday that there are no more than several hundred members of the Saudi Hezbollah, but Western officials believe the group has carried out at least four other attacks -- three on Saudi diplomats overseas and one on a Saudi gas plant.
Court proceedings for Al-Sayegh are scheduled for April 28.
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