Nigeria's secret service announced the arrest of members of a terrorist cell who were trained in Iran and planned to attack American and Jewish targets in Lagos, the country’s commercial capital. A broad-based plot that would have killed many had been prevented, the State Security Service (SSS) said on Wednesday. The alleged attacker, Abdullahi Mustapha Berende, was apparently tasked by the Iranian regime with setting up a terrorist cell in Lagos, spying and striking multiple targets, including hotels frequented by Americans and Israelis, the SSS said.
The US aid organization USAID and organizations including the Chabad Jewish center in Lagos were named as targets. Berende made several suspicious trips to Iran where he interacted with Iranians in a "high profile terrorist network".
"His Iranian sponsors requested that he identifies and gathers intelligence on public places and prominent hotels frequented by Americans and Israelis to facilitate attacks," SSS Spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said in a statement. "There is conclusive evidence that Berende in collaboration with his Iranian handlers were involved in grievous crimes against the national security of this country."
"Lagos was preferred because his handlers believed that the Israelis have an intelligence facility there that is used in spying on Iran," she said.
To aide his operations, Berende recruited Sulaiman Saka, Saheed Adewumi and Bunyamin Yusuf. Berende and Messrs Saka and Adewumi had been arrested, the SSS said.
Berende admitted to spying for Iran to reporters. "As for surveillance, that one is true. It is a regrettable phenomenon I shouldn't be proud of it," he said as he was paraded by the SSS in their Abuja offices. He had received US$ 30,000 to carry out operations, the secret service said.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation.
