Info:
Iran’s terrorist cell, “Unit 400”, headed by Ali Barhoun, one of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) senior leaders. Unit 400 is Iran’s latest plan to spread chaos and terrorism around the world, a part of the Quds Force and led by Hamid Abdullahi, who was designated by the United States in 2012 as terrorist activity supporter.
Observers pointed out that Iran’s Unit 400 has prepared sleeping cells that can be activated to attack Western targets if the tension between Iran and the West reached an armed escalation leading to a comprehensive military confrontation.
“The terrorist cells that Iran has been building in the past three years are active in a number of African countries, such as Chad, Ghana, Niger, the Gambia, and Central Africa,” according to Gatestone Institute.
They were being built since the signing of the nuclear agreement, proving that US President Donald Trump was right to withdraw from the notorious nuclear agreement with Iran.
The unit 400 conducts sensitive covert operations abroad [that] include terrorist attacks, assassinations, kidnappings and sabotage, a U.S. official said. The unit has supported Iraqi militants, “provided weapons, equipment, training and money to Afghan insurgents … and also arranges the delivery of lethal aid into Syria and Lebanon and military training for Hezbollah and Palestinian militants.”
Unit 400 is the youngest element of Quds Force. They have become prominent in Quds Force operations since about 2012. Unit 400 is thought to be directed in its operations personally by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It was, and may still be, commanded by Majid Alavi, a former deputy minister of both intelligence and information. During his first stint at the Ministry of Information, he used that ministry as a cover to maintain contacts with Hezbollah and other terrorist groups throughout the region.
this Unit is employed to seek out Western targets across the world. A 2012 report investigated the botched Bangkok plot to assassinate Israeli diplomats in Thailand, revealing that Majid Alavi, a former deputy Iranian intelligence minister, “shifted to the Qods Force [2012] and along with [Hamed] Abdollahi, a commander accused in the Washington plot,”[34] operates Unit 400, which is “known as the Special Operations Unit.” According to State Department cables, Alavi also spied on dissidents living in London and Los Angeles. Additionally, the 2012 report obtained information from U.S. officials that Unit 400 “conducts sensitive covert operations abroad [that] include terrorist attacks, assassinations, kidnappings and sabotage.” They have also supplied Iraqi Shiite militants, as well as “weapons, equipment, training and money to Afghan insurgents…and also arranges the delivery of lethal aid into Syria and Lebanon and military training for Hezbollah and Palestinian militants.”
Hence, the Qods Force has expanded its network to include a tight unit for the sole purpose of targeting westerners. The Arbabsiar plot as well as those afterwards continue to show the IRGC and Qods Force ambitions, though also indicative of their limits.
The United States uncovered a plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador inside Washington, D.C. that also tracked to Unit 400. Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintelligence managed to infiltrate the operation and capture $100,000 in transferred funds intended for the assassins. At that time, the Iranian operative was trying to hire what he believed to be a Mexican drug cartel’s agent to carry out the killings. In fact, their contacts were with the FBI. This led to the conviction of an Iranian-American, Mansour Arbabsiar, who plead guilty to the charges after the FBI arrested him.
Person of interests:
– Hamed Abdollahi – Commander
– Mohammad Tajan-Jari, the financial manager
– Esmail Ghaani is an Iranian Brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and commander of its Quds Force
Unit 400 Foreign Infrastrcuture:
Quds Force Unit 400:
– Abu Al-Qassem Rostami
– Muhamad / Ibrokhim Mirzoshoev (tajik) – Najiballah Rahimov (Tajik) (Tajik handlers on behalf of Quds Force in Iran responsible for recruiting and handling foreign assets in CIS and Caucas under business cover)
Quds Force Chechen-Russian foreign assets:
– Oleg DOEV
– Aslan Saraliev
Quds Force Taiik Kyrgyz foreign assets:
– Bakhtiyor Nazarov
– Jamshed Shokirov
– Davliatali Khasanov
– Shamsidin Saidov
Quds Force Chechen asset in Georgia Imarat Kavkaz’s operatives
– (Shukuran Mamedov – Detained)
Quds Force Chechen asset in Turkey Imarat Kavkaz’s operatives:
– Haj Bilal Bahaiev – Cell Leader
Foreign cells of IRGC Quds Force
Involved In:
Terrorist Activities
Branch:
Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolutionspecial forces unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
Description:
Special operations force
Role Special operations
Also Known As:
Special Operations Unit
400th unit of IRGC’s Quds Force
Qods Force Unit 400
Unit 400
IRGC Unit 400
Country:
Iran
Reason for the color:
» Iranian terrorist cell Unit 400 spread chaos and terrorism;