(JTA) — Suspected terrorists with links to Iran and Hezbollah were arrested in Azerbaijan, while bombs intended for use against Israeli targets in Thailand’s capital were discovered hidden in inexpensive portable radios.
The suspects in Azerbaijan are accused of planning terrorist attacks against foreigners in Baku, the Azerbaijan capital, the National Security Ministry said in an announcement Tuesday on Azerbaijan state television. According to reports, the suspects had gathered intelligence on identified targets and bought weapons and explosives.
Last month, at least two men were arrested after planning an attack on two Israeli teachers, Chabad emissaries at the Or Avner school in Baku.
The arrests come a week after bomb attacks targeted cars belonging to Israeli Embassy staff in India and Georgia, which borders Azerbaijan, and after bombs exploded in a central Bangkok house that were said to target Israelis.
The devices found in the radios were seen in surveillance photos being carried last week by a member of an alleged Iranian terrorist cell in Bangkok. The alleged terrorist had his leg blown off when a bomb he was carrying exploded after leaving the house following an explosion that blew off the roof.
A photo of one of the devices was shown on ABC News. The bomb looks "strikingly similar" to the bombs used in the attacks on the cars of Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia, Ynet reported, citing Israeli authorities and U.S. bomb experts.
The bombs in the radios also contained magnets, meaning they were designed to be stuck to the side of the car, as was the case in the attack in New Delhi, where the wife of an Israeli diplomat was seriously injured.
