Argentina, Iran, and the Enduring Mystery Surrounding the Death of a Special Prosecutor
On the podcast: Alberto Nisman accused Argentina’s president of covering up Iran’s role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. Then he was shot in the head.
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Twenty-five years ago this month, a car bomb blew up the Jewish Community Center of Buenos Aires, known by its acronym AMIA, killing 85 people and wounding hundreds more. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina's history.
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Via Apple Podcasts | Via Google | Via Spotify | Via Stitcher
Twenty-five years ago this month, a car bomb blew up the Jewish Community Center of Buenos Aires, known by its acronym AMIA, killing 85 people and wounding hundreds more. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina’s history.
In investigations over the years, Iran and its surrogate militia Hezbollah emerged as prime suspects, but no one was ever convicted. Iran has denied the accusations.
In 2015, Argentina’s special prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, publicly accused the then-president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, of covering up Iran’s role in the attack in order to preserve relations between the two countries. Nisman was found dead just days later. The circumstances of his death remain a mystery to this day.
Damian Pachter wrote extensively about the AMIA bombing and the subsequent investigations as a journalist for the now defunct Buenos Aires Herald. He was the first person to report the death of Nisman, and then he fled to Israel, worried that he might be targeted by Argentina’s intelligence agency. Pachter, currently a correspondent at the news channel i24NEWS, is our guest on First Person this week.
Read More
Does Anyone Remember the AMIA?
Iran may have been behind a deadly bombing in Argentina two decades ago. Now the two countries meet on the pitch.
Prosecutor Forwards Case Against Kirchner in Probe of Bombing Cover-Up
The decision sets the stage for a showdown between the president and the judiciary.
A Warrant From Beyond the Grave
A tantalizing new piece of evidence has been found in the mysterious death of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman. Can President Kirchner survive the brewing political scandal?
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