In 1994, Panama was the victim of a terrorist attack when Alas Chiricanas flight 901 exploded in mid-air, killing all 21 people on board, mostly Jewish passengers returning from the Colón Free Trade Zone. These events highlight significant risks for the country, as elements of Iran's Revolutionary Guard have operated in Panama. Following Argentina, where a 1994 car bomb attack on the AMIA (Argentine Israeli Mutual Association) killed 85 and injured 300, Panama became the second country on the continent to suffer an Iranian terrorist act. Panama granted asylum to the Shah of Iran in 1979 after he was deposed in the Islamic Revolution. At the request of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, General Torrijos agreed to host the Shah. During this period, Panama participated in secret negotiations in France for the release of U.S. embassy hostages in Tehran. In response, Iran attacked Panama using leftist elements and the PRD party, which organized a pro-Iranian plot. Millions of counterfeit dollars were smuggled in from Venezuela, and violent protests against the Shah's presence were sponsored, destabilizing the internal order. Later, in 1985, while Iran and Iraq were at war, Iran secretly requested to purchase weapons from the United States. Panama cooperated with the CIA and was key in the Iran-Contra affair, secretly selling weapons to Iran to fund the Contras' war in Nicaragua. In 1994, the attack was carried out by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy terrorist group. Among the 21 fatalities on the Alas Chiricanas flight was General Felipe Camargo.
