By Lucila Sigal
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered that the 10 people accused of the deadliest bombing in the country’s history face a trial in absentia, three decades after the attack on a Jewish community center that killed 85 people and wounded more than 150.
Argentine authorities have charged 10 people as perpetrators of the 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires – including former Iranian government officials and others whom it says are members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Those accused include Iran’s former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee, former ambassador to Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour and other embassy staff.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tehran has previously denied involvement and refused to turn over suspects.
People of Lebanese and Colombian nationality accused of being tied to Hezbollah are also among those accused.
The country’s judiciary considers all defendants to be fugitives from the law, many since 2003. It argues the attack was carried out by Hezbollah with the backing of the Iranian government.
Judge Daniel Rafecas ordered the measure on the basis of a law that was passed in February this year that allows long-term fugitives to face trial in absentia.
Argentina is home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community. President Javier Milei has been diplomatically supportive of the governments of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, both of whose long-standing feuds with Iran dramatically escalated this month.
A similar attack against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 killed 22 people.
(Reporting by Lucila SigalAdditional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Sarah MorlandEditing by Frances Kerry)
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