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French raid on Mujahideen Khalq welcomed by Tehran
Daily Star ^ | 6/18/2003 | Compiled by Daily Star staff

Posted on 06/18/2003 12:37:03 AM PDT by gaucho

French raid on Mujahideen Khalq welcomed by Tehran Police seize dozens ­ and $1.3 million

Compiled by Daily Star staff

Tehran thanked Paris for clamping down on Mujahideen Khalq activists in France Tuesday as the Iranian clergy?s fight against dissidents at home spilled over to exile communities in Europe.

Up to 165 members of Iran?s largest opposition group were arrested in the surprise raids in 13 sites north and west of Paris.

Among those arrested was a top symbol of the group, Maryam Rajavi, the wife of Iraq-based mujahideen leader Massoud Rajavi, as well as Rajavi?s brother, Saleh.

US currency amounting to $1.3 million, mainly $100-bills, was seized, along with computer information and satellite telecommunications equipment, police said.

The French government said the raids were aimed at stopping the group, which has been accused by Western governments of involvement in ?terrorism,?  from expanding its operations in France.

?This is about fighting against eventual acts of terrorism perpetrated on French territory,? Justice Minister Dominique Perben said on France-Info radio.

The group ?recently wanted to make France its support base, notably after the intervention in Iraq,? Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told lawmakers. ?We cannot accept that.?

The dramatic raids carried out by heavily armed and masked agents come a month after the Mujahideen Khalq?s armed wing was disarmed by US forces in Iraq. The group, blacklisted by the United States and the European Union, has fought to topple Iran?s clerical regime.

It was unclear whether the raids, which France said were planned a month ago, were connected to the recent unrest inside Iran. But the crackdown could hinder the group?s ability to benefit from any weakening of the Tehran government.

Reaction from sympathizers of the group, known for its militancy, was swift. One protester set himself afire outside the French Embassy in London, and his condition was unknown.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: captured; france; franch; iran; mujahideen; mujahideenkhalq; wot
Also in the Washington Post: France Jails 159 Iranian Exiles

The French Goverment is such scum. They arrest those who want democracy in Iran because they are so in love with their terrorism loving mulla friends.
1 posted on 06/18/2003 12:37:03 AM PDT by gaucho
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To: gaucho
We are choosing sides, and France is consistently choosing to back the other side. I think that makes them the enemy.
2 posted on 06/18/2003 1:26:43 AM PDT by marron
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To: marron
Frenchies want to play games and break our hearts. Of course they do, and what is good is we do not have to expect them to fix that (God forbid if they put their slobby hands on our hearts).

So, the solution lays in encouraging them doing this until they succumb to the Islamists. After 10 years of Frenchy Talebanic rule, they will cry for help, because they too cannot even fix what they broke in them.
3 posted on 06/18/2003 1:49:39 AM PDT by JudgemAll
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To: gaucho
The Islamic Republic of France shows their true colors yet again.
4 posted on 06/18/2003 1:51:12 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123
I think Bush should speak out and say the truth: France is looking Islamic more and more, and wish them well with the religion of peace.
5 posted on 06/18/2003 1:57:21 AM PDT by JudgemAll
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To: gaucho
French policy is to reinforce ME dictators while US policy is to weaken if not remove them. France is purposefully targeting for reinforcement the very dictatorships we aim to weaken/remove.

France is not an errant ally. France is an enemy.
6 posted on 06/18/2003 9:53:04 AM PDT by witnesstothefall
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To: gaucho
The French still haven't found a radical islamic fascist regime the don't just love.
7 posted on 06/18/2003 9:58:12 AM PDT by colorado tanker
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