US investigators probing the 1996 bombing of a US military housing complex in Saudi Arabia are preparing to formally indict at least one senior official from Iran, CBS News reported Friday.
Nineteen US Air Force personnel were killed when a truck loaded with explosives was blown up outside their barracks in Dahran, Saudi Arabia, on June 25, 1996.
Nearly 100 FBI agents involved in the investigation got a break in the case about a 11 months ago and are now awaiting only a few more pieces of evidence from Saudi Arabia before recommending an indictment, the report said, citing informed sources.
Several of the suspects are in Iran, including one identified as Ahmad Sherifi, a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to CBS News.
The White House and the Pentagon have already been briefed on the case and when the final elements of the investigation are in place, Attorney General John Ashcroft is expected to present the findings to President George W. Bush, the report said.
The new emphasis on this case is in response to the recent attack on the USS Cole, said the report.
There is a strong sense among some senior officials that the time is long overdue to start pointing specific fingers of blame at those responsible for the deaths of US servicemen and women overseas.
Justice Department spokeswoman Oberan Rainey refused to comment on the report when queried by AFP – Albawaba.com
