Argentina has freed three men arrested last month on suspicion of planning a "terrorist act" as the country hosted a major Jewish sporting event.
The three were released Monday under supervision due to a lack of evidence against them, but must remain in Argentina as the investigation continues and appear once a month before the authorities.
Earlier this month, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told reporters the country had received intelligence from the United States and Israel about a potential threat as Buenos Aires hosted the Pan American Maccabi Games, which brings together some 4,000 athletes.
The three had booked a hotel near the Israeli Embassy and entered Argentina via separate air terminals. They were arrested on December 30.
"We have neutralised the arrival of a possible terrorist cell in the country," Bullrich said at the time.
In a ruling Judge María Eugenia Capuchetti said, however, that "no evidence has been collected that can corroborate the hypothesis... forming part of the indictment" against the trio.
At a press conference, Bullrich also alleged that the men were to be the recipients of a “35-kilograme package from Yemen.”
"We are not going to name names. The three people are linked. They had arrived on different flights and were waiting for a package bought through an online shop from Yemen, so that was also a strong warning," the minister had said.
However, the judge said no evidence had been uncovered to back up that claim.
"It was not possible to corroborate the existence of the supposed parcel – the package – that was going to arrive in the country and that was mentioned in the information that started this investigation,” wrote Capuchetti.
Authorities initially said the suspects were foreigners, but their true identities remain unclear due to them holding several passports.
One man, identified as Naem Chatay Chasan, 67, had dual Syrian and Lebanese nationalities, but also held Venezuelan and Colombian documents.
According to local media reports, two of the suspects are actually Argentines. They were named as Juan Manuel Ledesma, alias ‘El Rubio,’ and Ramón Domínguez.
Bullrich’s press conference, drawing attention to a possible terrorist attack, drew major attention.
Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America, which has been targeted by two major attacks in the past.
In 1992, a bomb attack against the Israeli Embassy left 29 dead. Two years later, an attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre left 85 dead and 300 injured, in the worst attack in the country's history.
The 1994 assault has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel suspect Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group carried it out at Iran's request.
Tehran denies any involvement.
Hundreds of Argentines returned home from Israel after a bloody attack by Hamas militants on October 7 resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that the Hamas-led health ministry says has claimed the lives of at least 24,285 people, more than 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents.
– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL
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