Organisation of Free People of the Arabian Peninsula, Organization of the Islamic Revolution in the Arab Peninsula

Allegedly supported and trained by Iranian intelligence

The "Arabian Peninsula Freemen" was an organization that claimed responsibility for the June 1989 assassination of Samir Jah al-Rasul, an Egyptian driver working for the Saudi Embassy in Brussels, Belgium.  In their claim of responsibility, the group urged "free strugglers" to overthrow the Saudi ruling family.  <P><br /><br />The Arabian Peninsula Freemen made news again in September 1989 when they released a statement threatening retribution for Saudi Arabia's execution of 16 Shiite Muslims who had been responsible for an earlier bombing in Mecca. An Iranian news agency quoted the group as saying that the executions would "further speed up retaliatory moves by Moslems and strengthen their determination to eradicate this unholy root from the most sacred land on earth." <P><br /><br />Although little is known about this group, it is probable that they were Iranian-backed Shiite terrorists, operating in the context of the Lebanese civil war.  Iranian-Saudi relations had been strained for years, but at the time of the attacks, Iran was machinating against Saudi attempts to bring a peaceful end to the Lebanese civil war.  It is highly likely that the Arabian Peninsula Freemen were not disaffected Saudis, and that the group was simply a front for Iranian intelligence operations.  In any case, the group has not been heard from since their September 1989 statement. <br />

The Arabian Peninsula Freemen are inactive.

The Arbav Martyrs of Khuzestan are one of four groups to claim responsibility for a series of bombings in Ahvaz, Iran on June 12th, 2005. The bombings, which occurred just days prior to Iran's presidential election, killed 9 people and wounded at least 75. A bomb also exploded in a crowded square in Tehran a few hours later, killing one and injuring several others.  <P><br /><br />What role the Arbav Martyrs played in the bombing, or if the group even exists, is unclear. Three other groups, the Arab People's Democratic Front, the Arab Struggle Movement for Liberating Ahvaz, and Afwaj al-Nahdah al-Musallahah Al-Ahwaz, also claimed responsibility. Iranian officials alternately blamed Arab separatists backed by the U.S. and U.K. and Iraqi "Baathist" elements.