An Argentine federal judge has ordered eight suspects to stand trial in absentia for the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas issued the ruling Monday, charging seven Iranians and one Lebanese national over the deadliest terror attack in Latin American history. The bombing killed 85 people and injured more than 300 at the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina building on July 18, 1994.
The court determined the attack was ordered by the highest levels of the Iranian regime and executed by Lebanese Hezbollah, which functions as the Islamic Republic’s proxy. Rafecas characterized the bombing as “a crime against humanity” in his ruling.
The suspects ordered to stand trial include former Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Fallahijan, former Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Velayati, and Lebanese Hezbollah operative Salman Raouf Salman. All eight remain at large, with Iran having repeatedly refused to extradite any of them.
Because the suspects cannot be apprehended, Argentina is employing a legal mechanism approved under President Javier Milei’s government last year that permits trials without the defendants physically present. Each accused also faces a $500 million lien imposed by the court.
Argentinian Justice Minister Juan Bautista Mahiques announced the development on X Monday, framing it as a breakthrough in a case that has languished for three decades.
“The processing order by the Federal Justice in the AMIA case marks a milestone in the fight against impunity,” Mahiques wrote. “A historic step in favor of the 85 victims, their families and all of Argentine society.”
Milei responded to the announcement with a brief post on the same platform: “Morality as state policy!”
The case has been plagued by decades of stalled investigations, government corruption, and Iran’s refusal to cooperate with any extradition requests. No convictions have ever been secured for the bombing despite Argentina’s long-held position that senior Iranian officials directed Hezbollah to carry out the attack.
Argentinian Ambassador to Israel Axel Wahnish told JNS Tuesday that the legal action represented “a moment of justice” after thirty years without accountability. He drew a sharp contrast between the current administration’s approach and that of previous governments.
“While previous governments signed a memorandum with Iran to cover up the terrorist attacks, we signed a memorandum with Israel in defense of life and democracy and against terrorism and antisemitism,” Wahnish said. “Under the leadership of President Javier Milei, Argentina has left the axis of evil behind to align itself with the side of good.”
Rafecas also indicated a possible connection between the AMIA bombing and the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 22 people. That earlier bombing has likewise remained unresolved, with investigators probing potential links between the two operations.
The 1994 attack destroyed the seven-story community center in the Once neighborhood during the morning rush hour. The explosion collapsed the building entirely, leaving a crater and devastating the surrounding area. Rescue efforts continued for days as families searched for survivors among the rubble. The case became emblematic of impunity in Argentina, with multiple prosecutors and investigators either removed from the case or dying under suspicious circumstances, including special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in 2015 hours before he was scheduled to present evidence that then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had covered up Iran’s role.
The trial proceedings are expected to move forward in Buenos Aires without the physical presence of any defendants.