Argentina: 2009 Country Report on Terrorism

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001418 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC PGOV AR SUBJECT: Argentina: 2009 Country Report on Terrorism REF: STATE 109980; STATE 122733 ¶1. (U) Buenos Aires Country Report on Terrorism submission for 2009 follows. Contact is Pol-Mil Officer Ted Craig, at craigtj@state.gov. ¶2. (SBU) Begin text: Argentina and the United States cooperated well in analyzing possible terrorist threat information. During 2009, Argentina continued to focus on the challenges of policing its remote northern and north-eastern borders against threats including drug and human trafficking, contraband smuggling, and other international crime, including through the tri-border area where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. During 2009, Argentine security forces received U.S.-Government provided training in terrorism investigations, special operations against terrorist incidents and threats, and in dog handling and dog training. In addition, Argentina hosted a U.S. Government-financed regional training on the role of police commanders in responding to terrorist threats. Argentina takes seriously its responsibility to protect its nuclear technology and materials; it has begun to provide training to other countries on best practices against illicit trade in nuclear materials. The Government of Argentina is supportive of efforts to promote tolerance and understanding among faith communities in the country, and it responds to security concerns raised by religious and other groups. The National Coordination Unit in the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights manages the government's anti-money laundering and counterterrorist finance efforts and represents Argentina to the Financial Action Task Force, Financial Action Task Force of South America, and Group of Experts of the Inter-American Commission for the Control of the Abuse of Drugs (CICAD) of the Organization of American States' CICAD Group of Experts. The Attorney General's special prosecution unit, set up to handle money laundering and terrorism finance cases, began operations in 2007. That same year, the Argentine Congress criminalized terrorist financing with the enactment of Law 26.268, "Illegal Terrorist Associations and Terrorism Financing." This statute amended the Penal Code and anti-money laundering law to criminalize terrorist financing and establish it as a predicate offense for money laundering. To date, Argentina has not filed any charges under the law. In 2008, the Argentine Central Bank's Superintendent of Banks began specific anti-money laundering and counterterrorist finance inspections of financial entities and exchange houses. The Argentine government and Central Bank remained committed to freezing assets of terrorist groups identified by the United Nations in Argentine financial institutions. An Argentine judge in 2006 issued arrest warrants for eight current and former Iranian government officials and one member of Hizballah, who were indicted in the July 18, 1994 terrorist bombing of the Argentine-Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) that killed 85 and injured over 150 people. Despite Iranian objections, the INTERPOL General Assembly voted in November 2007 to uphold the Executive Committee's decision and the Red Notices on six were issued. At the 2009 UN General Assembly, President Cristina Fern????ndez de Kirchner called on Iran to surrender the suspects to face charges in Argentina. In June 2009, an Argentine judge requested the capture of a Colombian citizen, Samuel Salman El Reda, after the AMIA Special Prosecutor identified him as a mastermind of the 1994 attack. El Reda had been named previously as a suspect and is presumed to no longer be in Argentina. MARTINEZ