ARGENTINA: AMIA SPECIAL PROSECUTOR READY TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 000592 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2029 TAGS: PTER PREL ASEC MASS PHUM SNAR KJUS IR LE AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: AMIA SPECIAL PROSECUTOR READY TO ANNOUNCE INDICTMENT OF AMIA BOMBING SUSPECT REF: BUENOS AIRES 0247 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman called on the Ambassador May 19 to notify us that the following day he would ask Judge Rodolfo Canicoba-Corral to indict a new suspect in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA). Nisman described his painstaking effort to establish the suspect's links to both the environs of the AMIA site, a mosque in Buenos Aires, and his links via cell phone calls to Iranian diplomat and bomb plot suspect Mohsen Rabbani and a cell phone in the Tri-Border Area registered in the name of "Marques." Although the suspect, Samuel Salman El Reda, is Lebanese-Colombian, Nisman considered this a first step against a "local connection" -- that is a resident or Argentine citizen who had helped the Iranian and other suspects, a connection long of interest to the victims of the attack and AMIA. Nisman said El Reda has an Argentine wife and thought both are now living in Lebanon. ¶2. (C) Nisman described the indictment of El Reda as a substantial breakthrough and as asked that we closely hold his name until it is made public, probably on May 20. Post notes that El Reda has been named in the past as a suspect in the 1992 Israeli Embassy bombing and the 1994 AMIA bombing, based in part on investigations by the Argentine intelligence service (SIDE) and others. For Nisman, the breakthrough appears to be that he has pieced together enough evidence independently of the discredited first AMIA investigation to single out El Reda and pursue the indictment. ¶3. (SBU) Post will report further on local reaction when the indictment is made public. ¶4. (SBU) Action request: Nisman said that he will be in Washington June 15-20 and would be available to visit the Department of State or Department of Justice or other USG agencies for briefings. Washington offices are asked to contact Poloff Ted Craig by email (craigtj@state.gov) or phone (54 11-5777-4858) to arrange a meeting. WAYNE