Iran conspired to assassinate former Canadian Attorney General Irwin Cotler
Throughout his political career, the also former member of Parliament worked to have Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a terrorist entity.
Cotler retired from Canadian politics in 2015/ Yossi Achimair.
Canadian authorities foiled what would have been an attempt by Iran to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a former minister of justice of Canada and former president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Cotler was also a member of Parliament between 1999 and 2015, as well as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Even his daughter, Michal Cotler-Wunsh, served as a member of Israel's Parliament, the Knesset.
The Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, of which Cotler is the international president, confirmed the information The Globe and Mail initially reported.
According to the cited media outlet, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police informed Cotler that he "faced an imminent threat of assassination within 48 hours from Iranian agents."
"The source said judicial authorities were aware of two suspects in the plot, but it is not known if they were arrested or fled the country. The source said Cotler, 84, was told on Thursday that the threat against him had been significantly reduced. The Globe and Mail does not identify the source because he was not authorized to speak on national security matters," the media outlet added.
The Raoul Wallenberg Center confirmed the report in a statement sent to AFP. "(Cotler) has no knowledge or details about the arrests made," Brandon Golfman, a spokesman for the organization, said.
"We cannot comment or confirm specific RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) operations for security reasons," Dominic LeBlanc, a spokesman for the public safety minister, told AFP.
Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's minister of innovation, science and industry, called the development "very troubling."
Cotler has been receiving police protection for more than a year after the October 7 attacks, given that, throughout his career, he worked to have the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps listed as a terrorist entity. Protection includes armed officers and armored vehicles, among other things.
The Canadian Intelligence and Security Service (CSIS) warned Cotler that he was a high-profile target of the Iranian government.
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