COPENHAGEN — Iran tried to assassinate an Arab separatist leader living in Denmark, the Danish authorities claim, adding that a suspect in the “unusual and very serious” plot was in custody.
The accusations have set off anger and concern in Denmark, a nation that has experienced little political violence in recent years. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called the plot “totally unacceptable,” Denmark recalled its ambassador to Iran, and potential joint European action is on the agenda for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Nov. 19.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated the Danish government on Twitter on “its arrest of an Iranian regime assassin.”
“There is sufficient basis to conclude that an Iranian intelligence service has been planning the assassination,” the Danish Security and Intelligence Service said in a statement released on Tuesday.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, saying they “are in line with the conspiracies…