Diplomat arrested over alleged attack plot on Iranian group in France

An Iranian diplomat is among four people who have been arrested in connection with what authorities said was a foiled bombing attack targeting a rally organised by an Iranian opposition group in France at the weekend.
Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), a fringe organisation loathed by Iran’s establishment, accused leaders in Tehran of planning the suspected attack near Paris on Saturday, where an event featuring high-profile US politicians, including Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s attorney, was taking place.

On Monday, Belgian authorities said an unnamed Iranian diplomat, who works for Tehran’s mission to Austria, was arrested in Germany, while a married couple – Belgian citizens of Iranian heritage – were detained with “attempt at terrorist murder and preparing a terrorist crime” against the MEK. A fourth suspect was arrested in France.

The arrests come ahead of a rare visit to Europe by the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who is scrambling to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal after Trump said the US would not honour it.