Albania court places entry ban on MKO ringleader
An Albanian court has reportedly placed an entry ban on the ringleader of the anti-Iran terrorist cult Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), which has murdered tens of thousands of Iranian nationals.
In a ruling issued earlier this week but made public on Thursday, Albania’s Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime ordered state authorities to prevent Maraym Rajavi from entering the country, Tasnim news agency reported.
Informed sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the verdict came after Albanian officials examined available pieces of evidence and concluded that the MKO was using the country to organize anti-Iran terrorist attacks.
According to Tasnim, Rajavi fled the Ashraf-3 camp in the country’s western town of Manëz to France after Albanian police forces raided the site on June 20 due to its engagement in “terror and cyberattacks” against foreign institutions. Authorities seized 150 computer devices linked to terrorist activities.
At least one person was killed and dozens of others were injured during the clashes at the camp. More than a week later, the police entered the camp again and security forces were deployed at the entrance to the camp to control all vehicles leaving the site.
Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama later said the MKO must leave the country if it wants to use Albanian soil to fight against Iran, adding that his country has no intention of being at war with Iran and “does not accept anyone who has abused our hospitality.”
The MKO has carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades, about 12,000 have fallen victim to the MKO’s acts of terror.
The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan had previously listed the MKO as a “terrorist organization.”
In 2012, the group was taken off the US list of terrorist organizations. The EU followed suit, removing the group from its list of terrorist organizations.