The Israeli Embassy in Argentina on Thursday confirmed that a member of the IRGC Quds Force had been found among the passengers on an Iranian Mahan Air cargo plane on Sunday.
The Iranian plane had been leased to a Venezuelan state-owned airline and was en route from Mexico when it landed in Argentina.
Five passengers were suspected of having ties to the IRGC, and their passports were confiscated. One has now been confirmed as being a member of the Quds Force.
A tweet from Venezuelan political scientist Walter Molina Galdi read: “The Israeli Embassy in Argentina confirms that one of the [individuals aboard] the detained Conviasa plane is a member of the Quds Force, a division of the IRGC, which are considered terrorists by the US.”
La Embajada de Israel en Argentina confirma que uno de los tripulantes del avión de Conviasa retenido, es miembro de las Fuerza Quds, división de los Cuerpos de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica, considerados terroristas por EEUU.Repito: Terrorista iraní en avión venezolano. pic.twitter.com/dw6SUpqoZg
— Walter Molina Galdi (@WalterVMG) June 16, 2022
The tweet included the full embassy statement.
The embassy also expressed its concern over the activities of Mahan Air and Fars Air Qeshm in Latin America, which have a history of being used to transfer weapons, manpower and equipment for the Quds Force.
“These events testify to the attempts by the Islamic Republic of Iran – through the IRGC and the Quds Force – to continue establishing and spreading its influence all over the world,” the embassy said.
“This includes South America, with the goal of serving as a terror base for the entire continent.”