Ex-Argentina FM who had role in probe of AMIA bombing dies

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Hector Timerman, a foreign minister in former President Cristina Fernandez’s government who played a key role in the disputed investigation into the deadly 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish centre, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 65.

Timerman’s brother, Javier, confirmed his death in a tweet, writing “I am going to miss you more than you can imagine.” He had been suffering from cancer.

Hector Timerman was Argentina’s top diplomat from 2010 to 2015. He was detained late last year and placed under house arrest, accused of taking part in a coverup of Iran’s role in the bombing of Jewish Center in Buenos Aires, which left 85 people dead in Argentina’s worst terrorist attack.

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, whose 2015 death remains unsolved, had contended that a 2013 agreement with Iran, which was portrayed as a joint attempt to solve the case, in reality ensured that the Iranians involved would never be prosecuted. A joint “truth commission” called for by the deal was approved by Argentina’s Congress but it was never formed because it was later ruled by local courts to be unconstitutional.

Timerman, who as a signatory to the agreement, and Fernandez both denied there was a coverup.

Investigators have linked former Iranian officials to the attack, but Iran has denied any connection with the attack and declined to turn over suspects.

In one of his final public appearances in July, Timerman took part in a videoconference and spoke about his health problems, saying “the only thing that advances is my cancer.”

“Goodbye, dear friend,” tweeted Anibal Fernandez, the former Cabinet chief under Cristina Fernandez, “they hurt you without reason. They will pay for this.”

Timerman earlier served as Argentina’s ambassador to the United States.