JOURNALfor the STUDYof ANTISEMITISM

2011] TERROR NETWORKS 147
cell, had an apartment—a safe house—in Foz do Iguaçu, on the Brazilian
side of the Triple Frontier (Argentina–Brazil–Paraguay).
The new president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, has stated that her government
will consider the respect for human rights as a guideline for her
foreign policy. Although it is still early for a deep analysis (she took office
on January 1, 2011), there are some alarming signals: in a series of articles
published in April 2011 issue of Veja magazine, a weekly with the widest
circulation in Brazil, denounced the existence of a “terrorist network” in the
country. Such network includes elements from al Qaeda’s “Jihad Media
Battalion,” as well as some twenty “militants” from al Qaeda, Hizbollah,
Hamas, the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, and the Egyptian Gama’a
al-Islamiyya.
Veja also denounced frequent visits to Brazil of Sheikh Mohsen Rabbani,
for whom there is an Interpol “red notice” as a suspect for the AMIA
Jewish Center bombing. Rabbani was also exposed as a host for at least
eight Brazilians who went to Qom (Iran) for a “religious studies seminar.”
Beyond its own borders and interests, Brazil’s relations with Iran also
provide legitimacy for other countries to follow this path. The governments
of Uruguay and Chile already expressed their interest in fostering commercial
relations, without a proper evaluation of the political implications.
CONCLUSION
Iran’s network is likely to continue growing in Latin America, based
on its relationship with the ALBA bloc but, more strategically, connected to
an eventual partnership with Brazil.
Dilma Rousseff has stated that her foreign policy will not automatically
follow the patterns built by her predecessor, Lula Da Silva; at the
same time, observers should also pay attention to the actual “Itamaraty”
(the Foreign Ministry Palace) guidelines. Brazil has gradually become a
relevant global player, and wants to strengthen this position. It would be
legitimate to suggest that such role demands a dose of responsibility.
In the meantime, Caracas is providing a window for Iranian radical
elements to enter the region via Venezuela and then move freely throughout
the continent. The experience proves that their freedom of movement was
the antechamber for terror.
*Sergio Widder is the director for Latin America of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
He has been active in confronting neo-Nazi activity in Latin America: proposing
regional legislation to government officials in Chile and Bolivia; stopping the International
neo-Nazi Congress from convening in Chile in 2000, testifying against a