Former Canadian Minister Irwin Cotler says he was allegedly the target of an Iranian assassination plot
Canada’s former justice minister confirmed to the BBC that he was the target of a recent failed assassination attempt by Iran.
Irwin Cotler’s office said he was informed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of an Iran-backed attempt on his life in late October.
Mr. Cotler, 84 years old, is a longtime critic of Iran and has previously called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be classified as a terrorist organization.
The BBC has contacted Iran’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
The plot against Mr Cotler came after the US brought charges against a man accused of trying to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump on behalf of Iran.
The Globe and Mail in Canada first reported the plot against Mr. Cotler on Monday morning, citing an anonymous source. Mr. Cotler’s office later confirmed this information to the BBC.
The RCMP told the BBC it did not release details of its protection measures or confirm who the individuals who may be protected are.
According to the Globe and Mail, Mr. Cotler was informed by the RCMP on October 26 that he faced an imminent assassination threat within 48 hours from Iranian agents.
The newspaper reported that authorities were aware of two suspects involved in the plot, but did not know whether they had been arrested or had fled the country. The newspaper reported that Mr. Cotler was informed on Thursday that the threat against him had been reduced.
Mr. Cotler, who is Jewish, has reportedly been under 24/7 protection by the RCMP for more than a year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.
He had been flagged by Canadian intelligence as a high-profile target for Iran, which backs Hamas. Mr. Cotler was provided with bulletproof vehicles, heavily armed police and other security measures for protection.
Mr. Cotler, now retired, was a member of parliament in Canada from 1999 to 2015. He served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Justice under former Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Liberal government from 1999. 2003 to 2006.
He is an outspoken critic of the regime in Tehran and has been before introduced a motion in the Canadian parliament in 2013 demand that the IRGC be sanctioned and designated as a terrorist entity. Canada is officially listed IRGC is a terrorist entity in June this year.
Mr. Cotler represents Iranian political prisoners and has close ties to Israel.
His daughter, Michal Cotler-Wunsh, is an Israeli politician and diplomat and served as a member of the Israeli parliament.
Earlier this month, US authorities arrested an Afghan citizen in connection with Iran’s alleged plot to assassinate incoming president Trump before he was elected.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, was allegedly tasked with “coming up with the plan” to kill Trump, according to the indictment against him by the US Department of Justice.
Mr. Shakeri has not been arrested and is believed to be in Iran.
Two other people were arrested in the US for allegedly plotting to kill an American journalist who was an outspoken critic of Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded to the allegations, saying they were “completely baseless.”
In a statement, Baghaei said similar allegations of an attempt to assassinate the US president had been made previously, which Iran denies and continue to be false. He added that repeating such statements risks “further complicating matters between the US and Iran”.
