Two Iranian men remitted money to several countries from Japan between 2000 and 2002 that may have been spent on the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, according to police.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Friday it has confirmed through several investigative organizations abroad that the men remitted money to five bank accounts in five countries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Police said they had requested outside help from Interpol, based in the French city of Lyons, for their probe.
The accounts are in individuals’ names and those of trading firms linked to people with ties to terrorist organizations, according to police.
Using these accounts, the Iranians remitted several million yen between 2000 and fall 2002. The money was “highly likely” to have been used for nuclear and missile development programs, police said.
They said another bank account in Europe is suspected of having been used for money laundering.
The two men were arrested in November on suspicion of remitting money abroad in the names of other people.
According to police, the two also remitted more than 400 million yen to 17 countries, including Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, between January 2000 and last year, on behalf of Iranian and Afghan residents of Japan, among others.
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