Police in Cyprus believe a man arrested there earlier this week might have been planning to attack Israeli targets in Europe. Almost two tons of suspicious materials were reportedly discovered in his basement. Israel says the man is suspected of being a Hezbollah operative possibly involved in planning terror attacks.
The Lebanese man was arrested in an apartment containing huge quantities of ammonium nitrate and other materials which were intended for creating large blasts.
A 26-year-old Lebanese man with a Canadian passport was detained by police in Cyprus on Tuesday, after authorities discovered the hoard in the basement of a house. Three newspapers on Friday reported that authorities were investigating a possible link of the individual with the military wing of Hezbollah group. The remain has reportedly close links with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
According to information provided to the Israeli defense establishment, Cyprus believes the island was to serve as a "point of export" for a series of attacks in Europe, the 'Haaretz' newspaper reported. Targets were to include Jewish sites, including synagogues, as well as Western targets.
An Israeli official was quoted by 'Haaretz' as saying: "This is a terror infrastructure ready to strike the moment it is given a chance, like the one in Burgas," they said, referring to the 2012 terror attack attributed to Hezbollah that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian driver at the Black Sea city of Burgas. "This is additional proof of Iran's involvement in terror and the infrastructure of operatives, instructors and funders it provides," the source said.
Despite its proximity to the Middle East, Cyprus has seen little militant-related activity in recent decades. Its last major security incident was a botched attack on the Israeli embassy in 1988, which killed three people. In 2013 a Swedish citizen of Lebanese descent was jailed in Cyprus on charges of plotting an attack on Israeli tourists. He said he had been asked by Hezbollah to track the movements of Israeli tourists on the island, but denied he was planning any attack.
