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Albania cut diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday, when
Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed the cyberattack, which took place
in July, on the Islamic Republic, and gave its diplomats 24
hours to close the embassy and leave the country.
The police, wearing masks and helmets and carrying automatic
rifles, entered the building - situated just 200 metres (yards)
from Rama's office - after two cars with diplomatic plates had
left, a Reuters reporter saw.
Thirty minutes later, the police were still inside.
The same reporter earlier saw a man inside the embassy throwing
papers into a rusty barrel, with flames illuminating the walls
of the three-story building.
In a rare video address on Wednesday, Rama said the July
cyberattack has "threatened to paralyze public services, erase
digital systems and hack into state records, steal government
intranet electronic communication and stir chaos and insecurity
in the country."
Washington, Albania's closest ally, also blamed Iran for the
attack and promised to "take further action to hold Iran
accountable for actions that threaten the security of a U.S.
ally."
Tehran condemned Tirana's decision to cut ties, describing the
reasons for the move as "baseless claims".
Bilateral relations have been tense since 2014, when Albania
accepted some 3,000 members of the exiled opposition group
People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran - also known by its
Farsi name Mujahideen-e-Khalq - who have settled in a camp near
Durres, the country's main port.
Days after the July 15 cyberattack, Tirana-based media reported
that hackers had published personal data of the opposition
members that were saved in Albania's state computers such as
personal, social and security numbers, names and photos.
On Thursday morning, it appeared calm outside the embassy in
Tirana located A black Audi with diplomatic car plates and
darkened windows was seen going in and out as a police officer
guarded the entrance.
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga; Editing by Kim
Coghill and John Stonestreet)
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