French justice drops 11-year terror case against Iran exiled opposition that sparked suicides
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}French judges have thrown out terrorism-linked charges against nine members of an exiled Iranian opposition group, closing a case that began 11 years ago with mass arrests that provoked several deaths by protesters setting themselves afire.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed Wednesday the case against the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq was closed. The group's leader Maryam Rajavi said in a statement the decision was a "victory of justice and resistance over collaboration" between France and Iran.
Rajavi was among more than 150 detained in a sweep in 2003 around the group's headquarters in Auvers-Sur-Oise, outside Paris. She and 16 others were charged on suspicion of planning terrorist acts and terror financing. Rajavi was later released, and some charges were dropped as the probe progressed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The identities of the nine were not released.