- The Iranian Revolutionary Guards reportedly sent a team to hijack or bomb a Saudi passenger plane in Southeast Asia
- The information was relayed by the Saudi embassy in Manila to the Foreign Affairs department
- Sources revealed to two major broadsheets that the Philippines, as well as other SE Asian countries, are the likely targets
MANILA, Philippines – Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are reportedly planning to hijack or bomb a Saudi carrier somewhere in Southeast Asia; this was confirmed by sources to at least two major broadsheets.
A Philippine Star article by Rudy Santos said the terror threat against a Saudi aircraft is ‘real’, ‘imminent’ and in the advanced stage of implementation.
Citing a source from the airport, the information was reportedly relayed by the Saudi embassy in Manila to the Deparment of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through a note verbale marked “extremely urgent”.
The note revealed that a terrorist team of 10 persons – of which 6 are Yemenis – have been sent to a Southeast Asian nation via two separate flights from Turkey to carry out the plot.
The Saudi authorities requested their Philippine counterparts to install an X-ray machine at Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) Terminal 1 to inspect flights coming from Saudi Arabia.
The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have been considered as the most likely place of target, the note allegedly added.
In a separate report by Benjie Vergara for The Manila Times, another source disclosed that the names of the six terrorists have already been determined and were sent to the airport immigration for lookout.
Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at each other’s throat for months after the latter led the crushing of Houti rebels in Yemen, which is supported by Iran, for trying to overthrow the Saudi-backed government.
It was the other way around, however, in Syria, for the two Islamic powerhouses. Iran supports the Assad regime while Saudi is backing the rebels fighting the government forces.
Tension between the Shiite-led Iran and the Sunni-led Saudi rose to a disturbing level last month after Saudi Arabia executed a well-known Shi’ite Muslim religious leader.
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