The network includes operational teams in Congo and several Pakistanis living in Iran who were involved in planning the activity and handling other network members.
Assets:
The key figure in the network is Pakistani national Seyed Mehdi Hassan.
– In addition to the operational activity that he pursued in Congo, Hassan was trained by Iranians and participated in Quds Force activity in Syria.
To carry out his tasks, Hassan moved to Congo and created a business cover story for himself using the companies his brother runs in the country. In Congo, Hassan carried out operational intelligence collection tasks on various figures and sent reports to his handler Syed Daniel Mehdi, aka Irfani. During debriefings, it was clear that Hassan was tasked with collecting on four targets in Congo and relayed reports to his handler on the people on whom he collected information.
– Hassan also purchased equipment and vehicles for the operational activity, as seen in the photos below:
Congolese national Ali Nengo Akake:
– Akake lived in Iran over the past few years while studying at al-Mustafa College, which is known to be a key location for Quds Force recruitment.
Akake was sent back to Congo to collect intelligence on various targets there
The operational network included at least three other members living in Iran:
– Abbas Haidar: The network leader. Lives and was trained in Iran. He recently flew to Pakistan, apparently to pursue operational activity
– Syed Daniel Mehdi aka Ifrani: Seyed Mehdi Hassan’s handler. Lives in Iran, where he has undergone operational training. His father is also involved in the activity, and recently traveled to Pakistan with Abbas Haidar.
A Pakistani called Adel.
Handlers:
– The key field officers in Quds Force’s Department 840 behind the operational activity were Ali Tanhaei and Hamid Zara’ati.
– Both men are in contact with people at al-Mustafa College. They have been identified by people who were detained and questioned in recent years around the world, including in Europe and countries bordering Iran.
Handling methods:
– As in many cases in the past, al-Mustafa College in general and the Pakistani proxy in particular played an important role in brokering between Department 840 members, the facilitators, and the terrorists.
– For example, Mohammad Zulfiqar and Hossein Chaghemi-Abiazabi, academics at al-Mustafa College, handled Ali Nengo Akake to pursue terror in Congo.
– Another example of this MO was the use of Pakistani national Abbas Ali, who lives in Qom, to pursue operational activity in countries neighboring Iran