Terrorist plotting against Israel caught

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LIMASSOL, Cyprus, July 15 (UPI) -- Authorities in Cyprus say they have arrested a Lebanese man suspected of plotting terrorist attacks against Israeli interests.

Details of the arrest were confirmed by Cypriot Police spokesman Andreas Angelides.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office released a statement Saturday night calling on the international community to "fight the largest exporter of terror (Iran.)"

The suspect was linked by investigators to Hezbollah -- the Shiite Muslim group in Lebanon that receives financial, military and political support from Iran.

"Iranian terrorism has no boundaries. After Iran's failed attempts to carry out terror attacks against Israelis in Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Bangkok and New Delhi, we now learn of the Islamic country's intention to execute an additional terrorist attack in Cyprus. The international community must fight against the largest exporter or terror," the statement said

Details of the 24-year-old suspect's arrest were kept under wraps for a week.

The Famagusta Gazette Sunday said the Lebanese man is suspected of being a member of Hezbollah in Lebanon. He was arrested in Limassol on July 7 and found to be the holder of a Swedish passport, the newspaper said. A local court remanded him for five days in police custody, then extended the remand for another seven days, the paper said.

The suspect was monitoring and recording movements of Israelis visiting in Cyprus and documents and photographs were found in his possession, the paper said. The Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros said the suspect was attempting to pinpoint areas, hotels and buses frequented by Israeli tourists.

Cyprusnewsreport.com said a foreign intelligence service alerted local police to the suspect's arrival on the island.

Israeli TV said Israel's intelligence agency the Mossad was working with Cypriot officials.