2 Iranians sentenced to jail for botched bomb plot against Israelis in Thailand

Suspect who lost legs in 2012 Bangkok blast gets life sentence.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Bangkok bombing 390 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Bangkok bombing 390
(photo credit: REUTERS)
An Iranian man who lost his legs in a botched bomb plot targeting Israeli interests in Thailand in February 2012 was sentenced to life in prison in a Bangkok criminal court on Thursday.
Saeid Moradi, 29, received a life sentence for throwing an explosive device at police, while a second Iranian, Mohammad Khazaei, 43, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession of explosives.
Three bombs went off in Bangkok on Feb. 14, injuring five people. The first was apparently an accidental blast at a house that the two Iranians shared with an additional suspect. Another bomb was thrown at a taxi and a third blew off Moradi's legs before he was arrested by police. Khazaei was arrested at Bangkok's main airport trying to flee the country.
The previous day in Delhi, India, a bomber traveling by motorcycle attached an explosive device to the car of an Israeli diplomat's wife, wounding her. That attack came hours after an attempt to bomb an Israeli embassy car in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Following the attacks, Thai security authorities announced that they had discovered a “direct connection” linking the attacks against Israeli diplomats in Georgia and India with the Iranian terrorist cell apprehended in Bangkok. Tehran has denied any involvement in the attacks.
Both suspects also denied plotting a terror attack, saying they were unaware that the explosives were in their home.
A third suspect, Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh, is being held in Malaysia after fleeing Thailand shortly after the explosions.
A spokesman for the Royal Thai Police said Malaysia had approved Zadeh's extradition to Thailand but the suspect had not yet been brought back to hear the charges against him.
Reuters contributed to this report.