Hezb'Allah terrorists a capable and growing presence

Fawzi Ayub is a 45-year-old member of Hezbollah who uses the alias Frank Boschi and “should be considered armed and dangerous,” according to his entry on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

He is also a Canadian.

After Hezbollah sent him to Romania to hijack a passenger plane, Ayub made his way to Canada. He married and worked at a supermarket until Hezbollah sent him on a mission to conduct a bombing in Israel.

This week’s deadly suicide attack in Bulgaria that targeted a bus full of Israeli tourists has brought renewed attention on Iran’s shadowy terrorist operatives, Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards.

While the bombing investigation is still in the early stages, Pentagon spokesman George Little said Friday it “does bear the hallmarks of Hezbollah.” The New York Timesreported that U.S. officials suspected Hezbollah was behind the blast.

According to an analysis prepared for the New York Police Department, and cited byReuters, the Bulgaria attack was the ninth plot this year in which Iranian-sponsored terrorists had targeted Israeli or Jewish targets worldwide. Israel said there had been 20 such incidents in the past year.

“Clearly this is not an isolated incident, there have been quite a few attempts, and unfortunately this one succeeded,” said Doron Horowitz, director of national security infrastructure at the Toronto-based Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. “It shows a willingness and capacity, meaning that they are actively involved in identifying what could be seen as soft targets and have the means to carry out an attack.”

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Smoke rises over Bourgas airport in Bulgaria on July 18, 2012 after an attack on a bus packed with Israelis.

Like other Jewish organizations, CIJA has been in touch with Canadian security officials since the attack in Bulgaria. The group was told to be vigilant but that there was no evidence of imminent terrorist attacks in Canada.

“This is not Europe. I would say that there are different challenges but I would say at the same time that Jewish communities in North America are responsible for a level of preparedness that will help mitigate and prevent such incidents,” Mr. Horowitz said.

The attack on the Black Sea coast followed similar attempts in Thailand, India, Kenya, Georgia, Cyprus and Azerbaijan, and comes as Iran is facing opposition to its rogue nuclear program in the form of crippling sanctions, cyber attacks and the assassination of nuclear scientists.

But while Iran may be using its proxy Hezbollah to do its dirty work internationally, the latest attack will likely trigger renewed pressure on its operatives, including in Canada, where Hezbollah has long been active.