According to a senior U.S. official (via the CNN news blog) the FBI and DEA collaborated to disrupt an Iranian plot to commit an act of terror within the sovereign boundaries of the United States. According to this official, the alleged plan was orchestrated by the Iranian government and involved a plot to kill Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
According to the complaint filed before a federal court in NY, the plot involved bombing a restaurant that was regularly frequented by the Saudi ambassador.
Obviously, the ramifications of this alleged conspiracy will have enormous implications. This would represent the first attempt by a sovereign nation to perpetrate an act of terror on US soil. The friction between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Shi’a theocracy will be dramatically exacerbated.
This is a  developing story… the White House response will undoubtedly prove delicate.
UPDATE: It is now being reported that the plot included bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, DC.
Never let a good crisis go to waste. Four months ago this supposed plot comes to light and nothing is said or done about it. Lets embellish it, and put it aside until needed like say if Holder should ever be in real trouble with fast and furious or something. We can even have him give the press conference, you know, kinda the shining knight coming to the country’s rescue. These people are so dumb they will swallow any scenario.
One interesting tidbit is that the DEA informant tells Arbabsiar that the restaurant that the Saudi Ambassador frequents is also frequented by U.S. Senators, but Arbabsiar says to go ahead and do it — even if it means killing Senators.
Here is the criminal complaint.
pdf file.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/Amended_Complaint.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentBody
If we are charging an official of the Iranian government with complicity or worse in this plot, then it ceases to be a law enforcement issue and becomes a military and political issue instead.
The plot and phone calls back and forth to Iran continue all the way up to this month.
I’ve been curious of what the Saudis have to say.