Photo by bhrome.This afternoon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that they had disrupted a “major terrorist plot” which included plans to attack targets in Washington.
At a press conference this afternoon, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that two men were arrested in connection with a plot that would have carried out bombings against the the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, and the Saudi Arabian and Israeli embassies in Washington. (The Saudi embassy is located at 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, the Israeli embassy is at 3514 International Drive NW.) The two men, Manssor Arbabsiar and Gohlam Shakuri, were charged in federal court today.
Holder said during his press conference that the men were part of the Iranian Quds Force which has attempted to assassinate Al-Jubeir in the past, and that the plot was funded with $1.5 million in Iranian funds. Holder also said that the terrorists were planning to use a “weapon of mass destruction.” FBI Director Robert Mueller said that despite the plot reading “like the pages of a Hollywood script,” many people could have been hurt.
UPDATE: A copy of the charges against Arbabsiar and Shakuri can be read below.
In a statement released this afternoon, Mayor Vince Gray said that he had “been fully briefed and updated on this situation since July and am pleased to see the success of today’s operation to keep our city safe.”
“These threats are serious and citizens should know we are taking all appropriate measures to ensure their safety,” Gray said.
