Sixty-seven plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia on Wednesday seeking damages from the Iranian government for supporting Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
“Iran bears direct responsibility for the October 7th attack. Indeed, that point is essentially undisputed. The Iranian regime openly flaunts its motives in supporting terror. .” Said Plaintiffs included surviving victims of the attacks and families of those killed and kidnapped by Hamas.
Landmark US Court Decision of 2016 held The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) does not protect state sponsors of terrorism from lawsuits.Iran is Designated In 1984, it was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The lawsuit accused Iran, “the sworn enemy of Israel and the United States,” of orchestrating the attack with the aim of disrupting diplomacy between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“With the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia advancing, Iran was preparing to reset the regional balance, including by seeking to unite Arab states around the Palestinian cause,” the complaint states. .
Plaintiffs will present evidence, including their own sworn testimony, expert witnesses, and U.S. government documents, about how Iran funds Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other terrorist organizations. Then he said. One of the Iranian officials named as a co-conspirator in the attack was Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The complaint alleges that five days before the “deadliest killings,” Hamas, PIJ, and other Iranian-backed organizations “launched pre-planned attacks against Israel using Iranian intelligence, training, and military supplies.” “We have given the go-ahead to the project,” he said, criticizing Iran. Jews since the Holocaust” were violated. The lawsuit detailed some of the most heinous atrocities to highlight the sheer depravity of the attack.
The plaintiffs are reportedly seeking more than $1 billion in damages from Iran, including damages from the U.S. State-Sponsored Terrorism Victims Fund.
“In many parts of the world, Iran’s actions have been silenced. But plaintiffs will not be silent. And neither will U.S. law,” the lawsuit declared.
“As far as I’m concerned, Iran is the head of the snake and is just as responsible as Hamas.” Said The plaintiff, Natalia Ben Zvi, whose son Sagib was killed by Hamas at the Supernova music festival on October 7th.
A stroller and other belongings are left on the side of the road next to a car after a civilian was killed in an attack by Hamas militants days earlier near the border with Gaza. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Further lawsuits against Iran are expected. Another case is fIguided On Wednesday, it sought damages from cryptocurrency platform Binance for allowing Hamas funds to be traded on its exchange.
“Since the violence erupted, lawyers from top American firms have intervened pro bono on behalf of families of Hamas hostages, primarily assisting in dealing with the various levels of government investigating the attacks. Keith Alexander, former head of the National Security Agency and former four-star general, brought together more than a dozen top law firms on a conference call in October and asked them what they could do to work together.” bloomberg news report.
Bloomberg added that lawsuits against terrorist organizations and states that sponsor terrorism “can drag on for years, and enforcement of judgments has proven nearly impossible.”
“Plaintiffs acknowledge that the process to complete this case may be complex and time-consuming, but they seek justice for the atrocities directed, armed, and paid for by Iran. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to bring about this,” the lawsuit filed Wednesday said.
