2 arrested in Argentina for suspected ties to Hezbollah, possession of weapons

Two Argentine citizens with suspected ties to the Hezbollah terrorist group were arrested Thursday, the security minister said in a statement.

Police said that in the course of the investigation, they had discovered evidence of foreign travel “along with credentials in Arabic and an image of the Hezbollah flag,” the Reuters news agency reported. No further details were given on the credentials or travel.

The two men, aged 23 and 25, were arrested at a Buenos Aires residence, and were also found to be in possession of a “small arsenal” including a rifle, a shotgun and a number of handguns.

US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders are expected to attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Nov. 30-Dec 1.

A G20 summit coordinator, Hernan Lombardi, said Thursday that security for the gathering was at maximum alert.

A Hezbollah suicide bomber carried out the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires. The attack, orchestrated by Iran, killed 85.

Earlier this year the Argentine government targeted a Hezbollah fundraising network in the northern Triple Frontier with Brazil and Paraguay.