Canada has recently thwarted a plot allegedly orchestrated by Iranian agents to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a former Canadian justice minister and a critic of the Iranian regime.
The plot was uncovered after Cotler was informed on October 26, 2024, of the imminent threat against him.
According to reports from The Globe and Mail, Cotler, aged 84, was told that he faced an assassination attempt within 48 hours, which was linked to agents working for the Iranian government. Authorities tracked two suspects involved in the plot.
Irwin Cotler, who served as Canada’s justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006, retired from politics in 2015 but has continued his advocacy for human rights.
He has long been an outspoken critic of Iran, having represented Iranian political prisoners and dissidents. Cotler is also a strong supporter of Israel, and his efforts to have Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) labeled as a terrorist entity have made him a prominent target for Iranian authorities. His involvement in a 2022 FBI investigation into an Iranian murder-for-hire plot further highlights his standing as a critic of the Iranian regime.
The Canadian government has refrained from commenting on the specific operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) due to security concerns. However, senior ministers, including François-Philippe Champagne and Jean-Yves Duclos, expressed grave concern over the threat to Cotler’s life, with Duclos emphasizing how difficult the situation must be for Cotler and his family.
In response to the news, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a motion praising Cotler for his human rights work and condemning the death threats against him.
Tehran, in turn, denied the accusations, dismissing the reports as “ridiculous storytelling” and part of a broader misinformation campaign against Iran. Despite this, Cotler’s safety has remained a serious concern, and he has been under police protection for over a year, particularly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, which further heightened security risks for him.
