In July, private equity firms Cinven Limited and
BC Partners Ltd each cut their stakes in Amadeus to
3.42 percent after selling a combined 9.16 percent.
Following are some key dates in the alleged plot, as
described by court papers filed in New York and by U.S. Justice
Department officials at a news conference in Washington.May 24 - One Iranian, Manssor Arbabsiar, met in Mexico with
someone posing as an associate of a violent international drug
trafficking cartel, but who in reality was a confidential
informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Arbabsiar asked about the informant’s knowledge of
explosives and explained he was interested in attacking a Saudi
embassy.June 2 - Arbabsiar returned to Mexico and held more
meetings with the informant in late June and early July. He
allegedly said his associates in Iran had discussed a number of
“violent missions” including the murder of the Saudi ambassador
to Washington, Adel Al-Jubeir.July 14 - The informant allegedly told Arbabsiar that his
price for carrying out the murder was $1.5 million and that he
would use four men to carry out the assassination.July 17 - The informant allegedly told Arbabsiar one of his
workers had already traveled to Washington to conduct
surveillance of the ambassador, and they allegedly discussed
bombing a restaurant in the United States where the ambassador
frequently dined.When the informant said others, including U.S. senators who
dined at the restaurant could be killed in the attack,
Arbabsiar allegedly dismissed the concerns as “no big deal.”Aug 1 and Aug 9 - Arbabsiar, with the approval of his
co-defendant, Gholam Shakuri, allegedly sent two wire transfers
totaling $100,000 as a downpayment for the assassination.Sept 28 - Arbabsiar flew to Mexico, but was denied entry
and placed on a return flight. The next day, during a flight
layover, he was arrested by federal agents at JFK International
Airport in New York City.Oct 4-5 - Arbabsiar, who has been in U.S. custody since his
arrest, made phone calls that were monitored by U.S. law
enforcement agents to Shakuri, described as a member of the
Quds Force, a branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps. He is believed to be based in Iran.Shakuri allegedly confirmed to Arbabsiar the plot should
move forward as quickly as possible, stating “just do it
quickly, it’s late.”