Albanian police force open Iranian Embassy after expulsions

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanian special forces police forced the door of the Iranian Embassy in Tirana on Thursday and officers surrounded the compound in which it stands, shortly after the last staff members left the building following the government's order to expel them.

The officers, in full fighting gear, entered the building first and were followed by other officers carrying equipment and accompanied by a dog.

The Albanian government on Wednesday had given the embassy's staff 24 hours to leave the country over a major cyberattack that the Albanian government blames on Iran. It is the first known case of a country cutting diplomatic relations over a cyberattack.

The final two embassy cars with about 10 passengers left the compound Thursday near noon after much movement inside the building overnight.

Government sources declined to say where the Iranian embassy personnel had gone, but local media said some left from the Tirana International Airport and others were likely heading for neighboring North Macedonia.

The compound area, located downtown the capital only a couple of hundred yards from the main government offices, was cordoned off by police, and passers-by were not allowed to approach.

Movement inside the Iranian embassy in Tirana had been nonstop overnight. At one point, an empty barrel was taken into the compound and a fire was started in it, apparently burning documents.

A cyberattack on July 15 temporarily shut down numerous Albanian government digital services and websites. Prime Minister Edi Rama said Wednesday that there was “undeniable evidence” that the Iranian government was behind the attack.

The United States supported the move by Albania, a NATO member, and vowed unspecified retaliation against Iran for what it called “a troubling precedent...