Iran issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in arresting the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and dozens of others who he believed carried out the drone attack that killed an Iranian general in Baghdad.
Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said on Monday that Trump, along with more than 30 other Iran, accuses him of being involved in the January 3 attack that killed General Qassem Soleimani, facing “charges of murder and terrorism,” reported the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Alqasimehr did not identify anyone more wanted than Trump, but emphasized that Iran will continue its prosecution even after his presidency ends.
Interpol, based in Lyon, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alqasimehr was also quoted as saying that Iran had requested that a “red notice” be issued for Trump and the others, the highest-level notice issued by Interpol, requesting that he seek the location and arrest of the named person.
|
Iran to Execute Alleged ‘CIA Spy’ Involved in Soleimani’s Assassination |
Under a red notice, local authorities make the arrests on behalf of the country that requested it. The notices cannot compel countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but they can put government leaders in place and limit the suspects’ travel.
After receiving a request, Interpol meets by committee and discusses whether or not to share the information with its member states. Interpol has no requirement to make any of the notices public, although some are posted on its website.
Interpol is unlikely to grant Iran’s request as its advisory directive prohibiting it from “undertaking any intervention or activity of a political nature.”
The United States killed General Soleimani, who oversaw the Quds expeditionary force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and others in the January attack near Baghdad International Airport.
The assassination came after months of incidents that heightened tensions between the two countries and ultimately saw Iran retaliate with a ballistic missile attack on US troops in Iraq.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
