Case Closed, or Another Beginning

The horrific 1994 suicide bombing of Buenos Aires' AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina), which left 85 dead, has been one of the longer-running unsolved cases of anti-Semetic terrorism. While it doesn't close the case, yesterday's announcement that the Argentine government had definitely identified the suicide bomber as Ibrahim Hussein Berro, a 21-year-old Lebanese Hezbollah member, moves the ball forward. The identification hinged on interviews with his two brothers (who live in Detroit), an eye-witness and information from the FBI and the Mossad.

Interesting facts and conjecture from the case:

• Berro entered via the Tres Fronteras (Three Frontiers), where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet. The area is known for smuggling and terrorism fundraising.
• In 2003, local and forrign intelligence agents figured that someone named Berro, Brru or Borro, had entered via Tres Fronteras with a man named Ahmed Saad.
• A July 22, 2004 U.S. House of Representatives resolution identified Hussein Berro as the suspected bomber and said that he had been in contact with the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires. (Iran has not commented on the latest news.)
• Hezbollah announced on radio in Lebanon on Sept. 8, 1994, that one Ibrahim Hussein Berro had died in combat with the Israeli army in Southern Lebanon. The Argentine prosecutor said the announcement was an attempt to cover up the suspect's death in the suicide bombing.
• Hussein Berro's wife got $300 in compensation.

Allegations that former Argentine President Carlos Menem was paid by the Iranian government to slow the investigation (and may have known beforehand) and that there was a local connection are still unresolved. [Photo via A.P.]

AMIA: la familia de Berro niega que haya sido el autor material del atentado (Clarín)
Identificaron al terrorista suicida que voló la AMIA (La Nación)
Hezbollah Militant Identified in '94 Blast (Associated Press)