Masked and heavily armed French police raided the offices Tuesday of an Iranian opposition group accused of links to terrorism, detaining 165 people and seizing $1.3 million, the government said.
The interior minister said the raids were motivated by evidence that France was becoming a major operations center for the group, whose Iraq-based military wing was disarmed by U.S. forces. On orders of France’s leading anti-terrorism judge, about 1,300 police poured into the streets and knocked down doors of offices of the Mujahedeen Khalq in a vast sweep of sites north and west of Paris. Police also seized computer material and sophisticated transmission systems, an investigator said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Mujahedeen Khalq has been allowed to operate openly in France for about 20 years. Judicial officials said the raids, on offices housing the group’s political arm, had been planned for a month. Full Story
