American Jewish Committee Report Sees Glimmer Of Hope In Resolving Attack On Argentine Jewish Building

American Jewish Committee
Monday, 19 July 1999

The impending trial of 20 Argentines in connection with the 1994 bombing of the country's Jewish community headquarters offers "a glimmer of hope" of progress in resolving the deadliest case of anti-Jewish terrorism since World War II, according to a report published by the American Jewish Committee.

The powerful car bomb destroyed the six-story building of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Aid Association (AMIA), leaving 86 dead and hundreds wounded.

From the beginning, Argentine investigators have suspected that Islamic terrorists, backed by Iran, had planned and carried out the attack with vital assistance provided by Argentines with police and security backgrounds.

"Officials investigating the case make no secret of their suspicion that army personnel were involved in the preparation of the attack, providing explosives and intelligence," writes Sergio Kiernan, a noted Argentine journalist who authored the fifth annual AJC report on the status of the bombing investigation. Fifteen of the 20 to be tried are policemen, including high-ranking officers in the Buenos Aires Province police force.

"The fact that later this year or early in 2000, the twenty accused will face a panel of judges sustains a hope that more will be known of at least one aspect of the local connection: the role of the twenty Argentines who, apparently for money, helped the terrorists attack the Argentine Jewish community building," writes Mr. Kiernan in "A Glimmer of Hope: The AMIA Bombing Five Years Later."

But the trial of the 20 Argentines will not end the investigation of the bombing, the AJC report states. There is hope that the trial will lead to new information related to suspected involvement of Iran, and ultimately bring about the arrest of others who carried out the bombing.

Luis Dobniewsky, a well known Argentine attorney who has been volunteering to represent AMIA in the investigation, cites four facts that will form the core of the prosecution's case:

- a car bomb was used in the attack;

- the car, a white Renault Trafic van, has been positively identified;

- parts of the van actually killed people in the street, turning it into a murder weapon;

- one of the accused sold the van to a group of Buenos Aires police officers.

The involvement of police officers indicates that the task of weeding out the vestiges of government-sponsored right-wing death squads that were active during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship is far from complete, writes Mr. Kiernan.

The American Jewish Committee, with its long-standing ties to the 300,000 strong Argentine Jewish community, has issued investigative reports annually on the progress of the AMIA inquiry - on the anniversary of the July 18, 1994 bombing - and maintained close contact with Argentine government officials and Jewish community leaders as the criminal case slowly advanced.

Last year, the AJC and AMIA signed an agreement of association to cooperate more fully on issues of joint concern.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org