Britain Freezes Assets of Five Men Over Alleged Iran-Backed U.S. Terror Plot

LONDON -- Britain froze the assets of five men suspected of involvement in the alleged Iranian-backed plot to assassinate Adel al Jubeir, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US, the UK's Treasury department announced Tuesday.

Among those affected were the two men charged over the alleged plot -- Manssor Arbabsiar, a US citizen of Iranian origin, and Gholam Shakuri.

The other three men are Qasem Soleimani, who allegedly oversaw the plot, Hamed Abdollahi and Abdul Reza Shahlai.

Soleimani, Abdollahi, Shahlai and Shakuri are believed to be senior officers from the Quds Force, a special operations unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for foreign operations.

The US government froze the assets of the same men last Tuesday, soon after the details of the foiled plot were announced.

Arbabsiar, 56, was arrested in New York City on Sept. 29 in connection with the plot and charged with various terror offenses. Shakuri also was charged but remains at large in his native country.

The US said the plot represented a "flagrant violation of US and international law" and added that it was committed to holding Iran accountable.

Iran has categorically rejected the allegations and said in a letter to the UN that "the US allegation is, obviously, a politically-motivated move and a showcase of its long-standing animosity towards the Iranian nation."