Officials with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had information that could have prevented the March 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, an Israeli newspaper reported this week.
The CIA never acted on information it had indicating that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement was planning to blow up the embassy building in Buenos Aires, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz.
The car bombing, which has never been solved, killed 29 people and left more than 100 injured.
A former CIA official, identified only as “J,” told Ha’aretz that when all the intelligence material that had been gathered a week before the bombing was reviewed, the agency realized that the bombing could have been prevented.
An American private investigator hired by Argentina to investigate the case found that before the bombing, Iran’s embassy in Buenos Aires had established contact with a local Hezbollah cell as well as with neo-Nazis in Germany, the paper also reported.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
