Cypriot authorities charged six suspects for allegedly planning to carry out a terror attack against Israelis living in Cyprus, the Cypriot newspaper Politis reported over the weekend.

Forty of the fifty charges are against the main suspect, Orkhan Asadov, 38, an Azerbaijani national who is accused of accepting $40,000 to serve as the hitman. According to the report, Asadov told police that a man identifying himself only as “Mohammed” gave him the money in exchange for killing five Israelis in Cyprus who owe him large sums of money.

However, Asadov is allegedly linked to Hezbollah as images related to the Lebanese terror group were found on his phone by the police.

Four of the other suspects are food delivery drivers from Pakistan and a Cypriot citizen of Lebanese origin. One of the Pakistanis, 27, who provided Asadov with a uniform from a major food company has been linked to a Pakistani Shi’ite terror group operating in Syria on behalf of Assad.

No information was published about the sixth suspect

The trial, which is scheduled to begin on December 6, will be held behind closed doors for security reasons.

Israeli security officials said that the planned terror attack was an Iranian plot to avenge the Israeli elimination of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last year. Following the revelation of the attack, Israel warned its diplomatic missions worldwide to bolster their security due to increased fear of possible Iranian terror attacks.

A Channel 12 News report on Sunday night said that Israel’s Mossad thwarted a series of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens in Africa in recent months. The planned attacks were to take place in Africa against Jews and Israeli citizens, including businessmen in Ghana and Senegal, and tourists on safaris in Tanzania.

Five suspects linked to Iran’s Quds Force have been arrested in connection to the planned attacks. According to the report, the suspects were sent to Lebanon to train for the terror attacks and were provided with the means necessary to execute them. The terrorists then traveled to Africa in the guise of religious students and began searching for vulnerable Israeli targets.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)