LIMA, Peru (AP) – Peruvian police said Friday they have arrested an Iranian national believed to be a member of Iran’s Quds Force on suspicion of plotting to kill Israeli citizens in the South American country.
Majid Azizi, 56, was arrested in Lima on Thursday along with two Peruvian nationals, General Oscar Arriola, Peru’s police chief, said in a press conference.
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Arriola said authorities had thwarted an attack on Israelis. He did not specify the intended target for security reasons.
He said police were still searching for a third Peruvian man believed to be responsible for the Israeli man’s murder.
A police officer escorts Iranian Majid Azizi at police headquarters in Lima, Peru, on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Arriola said Azizi arrived in Lima on March 3 and was tipped off about him by foreign intelligence services.
The Associated Press could not independently confirm whether Mr. Azizi is a member of the Quds Force. Iranian authorities have not commented.
The Quds Force is an elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that oversees foreign operations.
This is the first time Peruvian authorities have announced the arrest of a suspected member of the group.
Arriola said Azizi was arrested after withdrawing money from an ATM and will remain in jail for the first 15 days on terrorism charges, along with two other Peruvians who were arrested.
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The general said the man intended to return to Iran the day he was captured.
Azizi is said to be married to a Peruvian woman.
