Paris - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Belgian media in Brussels focused on the weekend on what was revealed by media reports in neighboring France regarding the arrest of a man and his wife in Paris in early May and their accusation of participating in assassination plans commissioned by Iran that targeted Jews in Germany and France. This was reported by the French News Agency on Saturday evening based on informed sources and police sources. According to what the Belgian News Agency reported, A. S. (34 years old) and his partner S. B. (33 years old) were suspected of involvement in a criminal terrorist group on May 4 and were placed in pretrial detention.
The French website Mediapart published their case under the name "Marco Polo" last Thursday. The report of the French General Directorate of Internal Security, which was reviewed by Agence France-Presse, indicates the re-emergence of "Iranian state terrorism" in Europe. It stated that "since 2015, Iran has resumed the practice of targeted assassinations," according to the General Directorate of Public Security, which confirms that "the threat has become greater (...) in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas."
According to the General Directorate for Security and Safety, the goal was to “hit civilian targets to increase the feeling of insecurity among opponents of the Iranian regime and within the Jewish/Israeli community.”

Media reports indicate that the Algerian-French national, A.S., is no stranger to French justice. He was already sentenced to ten years in prison for his involvement in a murder in Marseille. In July 2023, he was released under judicial supervision.

A.S. is suspected of being the “main operator” in France of an Iranian-backed group that planned violent acts in Germany and France. Despite the terms of his release, he reportedly traveled to Germany to make contacts to recruit others, with his wife present.

Investigators also suspect the group of setting fires to four businesses in the south of France between December 2023 and early January 2024. These fires included businesses owned by Israeli citizens. A.S. has denied setting the fires, but said he was merely acting as a middleman between the agents and others on Telegram.