The US announced today (Wednesday) indictments against Samuel Salman El Reda, a member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization who took part in the planning of the 1994 AMIA bombings in Buenos Aires, Argentina in which 85 people were killed.
El Reda, 58, is accused, among other things, of providing material aid to a foreign organization classified as a terrorist organization, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and of conspiracy to provide material aid to a terrorist organization, which carries a similar sentence.
He had coordinated Hezbollah's activities in South America, Asia, and Lebanon from 1993 to 2015 as part of Unit 910 - Hezbollah's External Security Organization (ESO), which is responsible for terrorist attacks on foreign soil.
The US State Department imposed sanctions on El Reda in 2019 and has offered a $7 million reward for information on his whereabouts.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen stated that El Rada “helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others.”
Following the AMIA bombing, El Rada recruited, trained, and coordinated Hezbollah operatives in multiple countries, including Thailand, Panama and Peru.
According to the indictment, El Rada "remains at large."