Mossad kidnapping inside Iran tied to Cyprus

Bizarre revelations emerged on Thursday regarding an alleged thwarted attack on Israeli targets in Cyprus, as Mossad revealed that its agents had gone inside Iran and kidnapped a man who later confessed on video to planning the killing of an Israeli businessman on the island.

According to Israeli media reports, Mossad agents conducted a special operation inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and abducted Yousef Shahbazi Abbasalilo, who was later shown in a video confession outlining his plans to kill an Israeli businessman in Limassol.

The timing and location of the video recording remained unknown, but Israeli media indicated that Abbasalilo’s apprehension led to arrests in Cyprus. Last week, local media reported that an Israeli businessman and his wife were at their home in Agios Athanasios, Limassol district, when a makeshift pipe bomb was tossed and exploded on the balcony of the second floor.

While the police refrained from speculating on the motive behind the attack, they asserted that the bomb incident had no links to a terrorism investigation. However, Israeli news network Ynet suggested that “a series of arrests” on the island followed Abbasalilo’s detailed confession, which eventually led to the capture of the Iranian terror squad by Cyprus security services.

Philenews, the source that first broke the story last week, mentioned that five foreign nationals were taken in for questioning after authorities conducted home searches in Nicosia and Limassol. However, the suspects were quickly released as they seemed unaware of the reasons behind the Iranian assassin’s request to meet with them.

Cypriot authorities have refrained from commenting on the case, citing national security reasons. Reports from Israeli media suggested that Cypriot Intelligence Services (KYP) became involved in the case only after Abbasalilo was kidnapped by Mossad operatives in Iran.

According to Philenews, the suspect had fled Cyprus through the island’s northern part, prompting an international arrest warrant to be issued for him. However, Cyprus Police neither confirmed nor denied the existence of an international arrest warrant.

In the video claimed to be a confession to Mossad agents, Abbasalilo provides details of the attack plan and also states that he fled the island after being tipped off by his handler, allegedly an Iranian intelligence official, who informed him that Cypriot authorities had become aware of the plot and advised him on how to escape.

The Iranian embassy in Cyprus has issued a statement dismissing the news story as a “Zionist conspiracy” aimed at creating divisions between Nicosia and Tehran.

According to Reuters, Mossad released a statement speaking of a “unique operation on Iranian soil” that resulted in the suspect’s kidnapping. During the investigation, he reportedly gave a detailed confession leading to the exposure and dismantlement of the terrorist cell behind the Cyprus attack.

The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that the “plotters included Iranians, Pakistanis, and locals.”

Cyprus Police have kept a tight lid on a similar case from two years ago when a Russian national, Orkhan Asadov, was accused of plotting to kill Israeli businessmen in Cyprus. One of the targets was said to be Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi, initially believed to be related to mafia operations for collecting unpaid debts but later described by Israeli officials as an Iranian terrorist plot.

At that time, the police refrained from providing details, citing security concerns and safety risks to informants. Reports in Israeli media suggested that Sagi and a few other businessmen were advised by local officials to leave the island for safety reasons. Sagi later denied being told to flee.

Asadov, described as an ethnic Azeri, was arrested in Nicosia on 27 September 2021 while approaching a rental car under surveillance. He admitted to gun possession and forgery charges during a closed trial last year but denied involvement with terrorism.

Three guns were found by Cypriot authorities to be linked to the case, including a prop gun that was linked to Asadov. [Kathimerini Cyprus]