The French government announced Tuesday that it had seized the assets of Iran’s intelligence services and two nationals in wake of a July plot to attack an Iranian opposition group that was meeting on the outskirts of Paris.
“An attempted attack in Villepinte was foiled on June 30. An incident of such gravity on our national territory could not go unpunished,” said a joint statement by the foreign, interior and economy ministries.
The asset freezes targeted two individuals identified as Assadollah Asadi and Saeid Hashemi Moghadam, the French statement said. A unit within the Iranian intelligence services was also targeted.
France had warned Tehran to expect a robust response after an Iranian diplomat was arrested in Germany suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the meeting of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
A spokesman at the Iranian Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate response to the French move from Tehran.
On Monday, a court in southern Germany said the detained Iranian diplomat, who is accredited in Austria, could be extradited to Belgium, where two other individuals suspected of involvement in the bomb plot were arrested on June 30.
They were caught in possession of explosives.
Earlier on Tuesday, some 200 police raided the headquarters in northern France of a religious association and the homes of its leaders who are suspected of supporting "terrorist organizations", security sources said.
The operation against the Zahra Center France in Grande Synthe, a suburb of the port city of Dunkirk, was staged as part of the "prevention of terrorism" procedures, regional authorities said in a statement.
A security source told AFP that 11 people had been arrested, while French authorities also froze the financial assets of the center which is headed by Yahia Gouasmi, who is known for his anti-Zionist views and links to Iran.
Police have been closely following the activities of the Zahra Center "because of the strong support by its leaders for several terrorist organizations and in favor of movements backing ideas that are contrary to the values" of France.
It was unclear whether the arrests were linked to the bomb plot against the NCRI.
