King Statement on Iranian Plot to Attack U.S. Homeland and Assassinate Saudi Ambassador
October 11, 2011
State-sponsored Attack Would Have Represented an “Act of War”
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement on the disruption of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States in Washington:
“I commend the DEA and the FBI for their excellent work disrupting this historic assassination plot, which almost certainly must have been known to officials at the very top levels of the Iranian government. As unthinkable as it is, Iranian agents planned to murder the Saudi ambassador at a Washington restaurant, scoffing at concerns that their attack would likely kill dozens of innocent Americans.
“All options should be on the table for President Obama to respond forcefully to this grave provocation by Iran, and the President has my full support to act. Iran’s assassination of a foreign diplomat in our country would have violated both US and international law, and represented an act of war against the United States, not to mention against Saudi Arabia.
“While I intend to support the President’s ultimate decision, I believe that he should consider expelling Iranian officials, especially known intelligence officers, from the Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York, and the Iranian Interests Section in Washington. Iran has not acted as a civilized nation. This arrest shows that Iranian government officials are not here in our country to conduct diplomacy, but rather murder, mayhem, and acts of terror. I believe they should be deported.”