Authorities in Albania suspect members of the of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) group residing in a camp in Albania of committing several crimes, including incitement to war and cybercrime, according to an Albanian court on June 21.
The decision of the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime to allow a probe of the group to proceed came a day after Albanian state police seized dozens of computers during a raid of the Ashraf 3 camp where some 2,800 members of the MKO live.
The Special Prosecutor's Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime has registered criminal proceedings for several offenses, including provocation of war, illegal interception of computer data, and interference with computer data.
In addition, six MKO leaders are being charged with disobeying police, destruction of property, and other charges related to their behavior during the raid on the camp in Manza, Albania.
"During the search in accordance with the law, the police services encountered violent and continuous opposition from the citizens who are in the camp," the police said in a statement.
Albanian police say that the Iranians "tried to hinder the police from continuing the search and confiscating material evidence." The statement also says police continue to collect evidence documenting suspected illegal actions committed by the residents of the camp.
Three dozen people, including several Albanian policemen, were injured during the raid, authorities said.
The situation in the camp on June 21 was calm.
The Albanian judiciary ordered the investigation due to the violation of agreements the group made when they settled in Albania a decade ago, Albanian police said on June 20.
Albania severed diplomatic ties with Iran in July last year after accusing Tehran of orchestrating a cyberattack against the NATO member.
The MKO left Iraq, where it had its camp before, in 2013, under a UN- and U.S.-backed deal and settled in other countries including Albania.
The U.S. State Department said in an e-mail to RFE/RL that the American authorities were informed that the raid was conducted lawfully and voiced support for Tirana's sovereign right to take such action.
"The Albanian State Police have assured us that all actions were conducted in accordance with applicable laws, including with regard to the protection of the rights and freedoms of all persons in Albania. We support the Government of Albania’s right to investigate any potential illegal activities within its territory," the State Department statement said.
The camp is monitored by a private security company, which does not allow entry to persons not authorized by the leaders of the MKO.
MKO representatives claimed that one elderly person died as a result of the use of tear gas by the police during the raid, but Albania's interior minister and the police, who released a video recording of the operation, denied responsibility.
The reported death had nothing to do with the actions of the police, Interior Minister Bledi Cuci said.
The State Department reiterated in its statement that the U.S. government does not regard MKO as a democratic representative of the Iranian people.
"As we have said before, the United States does not see the [MKO] as a viable democratic opposition movement that is representative of the Iranian people," the statement said.
"The U.S. government does not provide support or training to the [MKO], does not contribute funding to the organization, and does not maintain substantive contact beyond issues related to the [MKO]'s resettlement, which was completed in 2016.
"The State Department continues to have serious concerns about the [MKO] as an organization, including allegations of abuse committed against its own members," the statement concluded.
The MKO killed U.S. personnel in Iran during the 1970s and carried out a series of terror attacks on Iranian embassies in 13 different countries in 1992, leading to its inclusion on the lists of terrorist organizations of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
In 2013 the group was removed from the list amid efforts by Washington to support the group in its fight against the Islamic regime in Tehran.
With reporting by AFP