Albania's anti-terrorist court bans MKO ringleader Maryam Rajawi from entering the country

  An Albanian court has reportedly imposed a travel ban on the leader of the anti-Iranian terrorist sect Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), who has murdered tens of thousands of Iranian citizens. In a decision issued earlier this week but published on Thursday, Albania's Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime ordered state authorities to bar Maraym Rajawi from entering the country, local news agency reported. Informed sources, who wished to remain anonymous, said the verdict came after Albanian officials reviewed the available evidence and concluded that the MKO was using the country to organize anti-Iran terrorist attacks.

According to AP, Rajawi fled to France from the Ashraf-3 camp in the country's western city of Manez after Albanian police forces raided the camp on June 20 over his involvement in "terrorist and cyber attacks" against foreign institutions. Authorities seized 150 computer devices linked to terrorist activities. At least one person was killed and dozens more were injured in the clashes at the camp. More than a week later, the police entered the camp again and security forces were deployed at the camp's entrance to check all vehicles leaving the premises.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama later said that if the MKO wanted to use Albanian soil to fight Iran, the MKO would have to leave the country, adding that his country had no intention of going to war with Iran and "will not accept anyone who abused our hospitality". The MKO has carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades, about 12,000 have fallen victim to acts of MKO terror. The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan had previously classified the MKO as a "terrorist organization". In 2012, the group was removed from the US list of terrorist organizations. The EU followed suit and removed the group from its list of terrorist organizations.