Ibrahim Hussein Berro

Who was Ibrahim Hussein Berro?

Ibrahim Hussein Berro was a member of Hezbollah allegedly responsible for the 1994 AMIA Bombing in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. Berro, a 21-year-old citizen of Lebanon, is accused by Argentine, U.S. and Israeli officials of blowing up the headquarters of Argentina's Jewish community. Hezbollah describes the accusations as "categorically false".

Berro grew up in Lebanon. According to his brothers, around 1989 he changed radically, leaving school and becoming interested in Hezbollah, where his brother Ali was an active member. His mother feared Berro would end up badly, and applied for a visa for him to go to Detroit — to where some of the family had emigrated — but the application was turned down because Berro was underage. He then traveled to Iran, where he presumably received training.

Berro is suspected of having entered Argentina near Ciudad del Este — a region known for smuggling, drugs, and other illegal activities — where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina share a border, accompanied by a man named Ahmed Saad.

The bombing, in which a van full of explosives opposite the AMIA building was detonated, was similar to the March 1992 Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires, possibly also committed by Hezbollah. The attacks, it appears, occurred with the support of Iran, though the Iranian government repeatedly denied this charges.