(UPI) — Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals accused of planning a terror attack against a synagogue in Athens Tuesday, following a tip from the Israeli intelligence agency.
The two suspects allegedly planned to attack the synagogue with a makeshift gas cylinder explosive at the direction of an Iran-based operative who promised to pay them, The Jerusalem Post reports. The suspect located in Iran has not been arrested.
The synagogue also acts as a restaurant and is a location of “high symbolic value,” according to the police.
The Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, reportedly uncovered the plot and worked with security officials in Greece to stop the attack. It believes the suspects are part of a larger Iranian terrorist organization operating in Iran and “out of many countries.”
“This is another example of Iran trying to use terror against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas,” the Mossad said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The Mossad commenting on the blocked attack is a unique occurrence as the agency rarely speaks publicly on security matters.
“After the investigation of the suspects began in Greece, the Mossad assisted in unraveling intelligence of the infrastructure, the methods of operation, and the connection to Iran,” it said, according to Greek City Times.
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen thanked the Greek government and intelligence services for its efforts to stop the attack against Israeli and Jewish targets.
“The government of the Ayatollahs in Tehran exports terrorism to the Middle East and the entire world, and only with a firm and joint stand will we be able to stop the terrorist activities of the Iranian regime,” Cohen tweeted.