Police arrest seven members of ‘radical Islamic terrorist group’

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Police in Argentina say they have arrested seven people who they believe formed part of an organisation planning terrorist attacks in the western province of Mendoza.

Argentina’s Federal Police (PFA) said in a statement issued Friday night that the alleged terror group had sent “anti-Christian” and “anti-Jewish” expressions via chat messaging programmes.

“Based on anti-Christian and anti-Jewish expressions, they disseminated via Telegram and WhatsApp messages planning attacks against the western community in Mendoza with content linked to terrorist organisations such as Islamic State and the Taliban Emirate of Afghanistan,” said the PFA.

The raids led to the “seizure of firearms, bladed weapons and electronic devices,” as well as “Salafist literature,” the statement added.

Members of the PFA's Anti-Terrorist Investigation Unit led the operation.

Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in a post on her X account that “in eight raids the PFA dismantled a dangerous organisation linked to a radical Islamic terrorist group.”

She said the group had been “identified after threatening a journalist from the Jewish community.”

She headlined her post with the words: “SEVEN TERRORISTS OUT!”

"We are going to get rid of each and every one of these criminals who intend to sow fear in Argentines and they will pay," said Bullrich.

The investigation was initiated following a complaint by the DAIA Jewish community group, reported local outlets, which said the security forces had identified the alleged aggressor and found he was part of a wider group.

Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with some 300,000 members. It is also home to immigrant communities from the Middle East – from Syria and Lebanon in particular.

The Jewish community in Buenos Aires has been targeted on two occasions: first, an attack on the Israeli Embassy in 1992 claimed 22 deaths and injured 242; two years later, the terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre killed 85 and left 300 injured.

Back in January, Bullrich had announced the arrest of another alleged terrorist cell she said were planning an attack in Buenos Aires. But within days, a judge ruled that the accusations against those accused, which included a hairdresser and a ping pong player, lacked merit.

Argentine President Javier Milei has repeatedly stated that Israel is one of his main allies, and in July his government declared Hamas a terrorist organisation.

– TIMES/AFP

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