Israel’s defense minister said on Monday that a Lebanese-Canadian man arrested in Cyprus after authorities found almost two tonnes of ammonium nitrate in his basement was part of a Hezbollah bomb plot.
Cypriot media had reported a possible connection between the 26-year-old suspect, who arrived in May and was staying in the coastal town of Larnaca, and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militia opposed to Israel.
Speaking to reporters, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon described the suspect’s apartment as :
a hideout, which according to what to what they are saying was being used by Hezbollah’s international terrorism network
Further citing what Israel had been told by Cyprus, Yaalon said the ammonium nitrate was intended for manufacturing bombs.
Cyprus is a popular holiday destination for Israelis. The island is in the EU, hosts two British military bases and receives intelligence from Western agencies. But Cyprus has little militant-related activity despite its proximity to the Middle East.
