Irwin Cotler Targeted in Alleged Iranian Assassination Plot
Canadian authorities recently thwarted a plot by Iranian agents to assassinate Irwin Cotler, an 84-year-old Jewish human rights advocate and former Canadian justice minister. Cotler, a vocal critic of Iran and supporter of designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, was informed on October 26 that he faced an immediate threat. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) tracked two suspects connected to the plot, though their status remains uncertain.
Cotler has been under continuous RCMP protection since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel, which heightened his status as a target of Tehran. His security includes armed guards and armored vehicles. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) alerted him to his high-profile status as a target, linking threats against him to Iran’s campaign of intimidation against prominent dissidents abroad.
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In an interview with The Media Line in May 2024, Cotler discussed the heightened threats he faced following October 7. He recounted being told by Canadian authorities that the threat to his life was “imminent and lethal” immediately after the attacks, leading to unprecedented 24-hour police protection. “There might have been, you know, the implied criticism, threats that we all might experience,” he said, “but that type of threat, and the protection that has emerged that the Canadian government has provided me since then, that was unprecedented.”
The FBI has also contacted Cotler regarding Iranian efforts to target critics, including journalist Masih Alinejad in the US. Cotler’s advocacy for Iranian political prisoners and his role at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, which he founded, have made him a persistent target for Tehran’s ire. Cotler described recent threats as a reflection of Iran’s attempts to silence critics through violence and intimidation.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied involvement, dismissing allegations as part of a broader campaign against Tehran.
