NEWS

House Foreign Affairs Committee

U.S. House of Representatives

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican

CONTACT: Sam Stratman, (202) 226-7875, March 5, 2007

                     Lee Cohen, (202) 226-1139

For IMMEDIATE Release

Ros-Lehtinen Comments on Interpol Decision

to Issue Capture Notices for Suspects in Terrorist Bombing

(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today commented on the decision by Interpol to issue capture notices for six people, including five Iranian officials and one Hezbollah leader suspected of planning the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina that killed 85 and injured more than 150 people. With 186 member countries, Interpol is the world’s largest international police organization. It facilitates cross-border police co-operation, including worldwide distribution of arrest warrants and alerts for capture issued by member states. In November 2006, Argentine officials issued arrest warrants for the Iranians implicated in the bombing. In January, Ros-Lehtinen and Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA), urged Interpol to act expeditiously on issuing capture notices for those charged by Argentina in the bombing.

The statement of Ros-Lehtinen:

The decision by Interpol to issue capture notices for those implicated in the ’94 bombing upholds the integrity of the Argentine judicial inquiry which found sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against these Iranian officials and their Hezbollah proxies.

It is my hope that Interpol will now act expeditiously to implement its decision so that these fugitives will be compelled to answer for their alleged role in this terrorist attack.

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