Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich claimed on Friday that the government identified the Latin American operations head of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The minister said that Hussein Ahmad Karaki was involved in the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center.
“That is no longer a ghost name — he is Hussein Ahmad Karaki, known by his aliases ‘Abu Ali,’ ‘Rami’ and ‘Saad Az Aldin,’” Bullrich said at a press conference held for local and international media.
The ministry also provided pictures of Karaki to the prosecutors investigating the AMIA bombing as well as case judge Daniel Rafecas. The pictures were allegedly taken in 2004 when the Venezuelan government granted him an ID under the name of David Assi.
“We are going to ask for [an Interpol] red alert for this criminal who is currently in Lebanon,” Bullrich added, saying that he was also responsible for “at least three attempted attacks in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil in recent years.”
Bullrich was joined in the conference by Security Ministry Criminal Intelligence national director Carlos Ferrer Picado and intelligence agency SIDE head Sergio Neiffert.
The minister said the government will send a letter to the Lebanese Embassy to request its cooperation to clarify the AMIA and Israeli Embassy bombings and prevent new attacks.
Alejandro Rúa, a lawyer who assisted judicial authorities in the AMIA bombing investigation, said the information Bullrich provided was known at least since 2022.
“The [2022] final Mossad reports on both cases years ago provided Karaki’s identity as well as his date and place of birth, stating that he participated in the two attacks on Buenos Aires. And that he had been in Lebanon for years,” Rúa posted on X.
“What’s new?” he asked.