An adviser to the Iranian embassy in Vienna will be sent to 20 years in prison after being convicted of trying to plant a bomb at an Iranian opposition rally in Paris • The Brussels prosecution claims he received instructions from Tehran
Protesters outside the court
Photography:
AFP
Assadullah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat at the state embassy in Vienna, was convicted and sentenced today (Thursday) to 20 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack at a conference of the Iranian opposition in exile near Paris in 2018.
An EU court has ruled that Assadi was leading a plot by Iranian intelligence to plant a bomb at a conference of the Iranian National Resistance Council.
The prosecution claimed during the trial that Assadi planned the attack at the behest of police in Tehran.
Assadi was arrested in Germany in 2018 and during his trial threatened investigators that his conviction would lead to a series of terrorist attacks across Europe.
Their trial took place under heavy security and complete secrecy.
Armored vehicles and special forces were stationed on the streets near the courthouse.
Assadi himself was not present at the trial and watched the proceedings live.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman told the Tassan news agency that Assadi's trial and conviction were a blatant violation of international law and the institution of diplomatic immunity.
"Asadi fell victim to a Western trap," a spokesman told the Associated Press.
