Iran’s intelligence agency announced on the 5th (local time) that it had arrested 11 people from six provinces on suspicion of involvement in the deadly serial bombings that occurred in the southeastern province of Kerman, Xinhua and Reuters reported.
In a statement released on its website, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry condemned the “terrorist tragedy” that occurred near the grave of former Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani in Kerman Province on the 3rd, killing at least 89 people and wounding more than 280.
Iranian intelligence tracked down Islamic State (IS) “terrorists” immediately after the attack and worked with other security and police forces to identify other suspects who helped carry out the bombing, according to the statement.
The Ministry of Intelligence added that one of the two ‘suicide bombers’ was Tajik, and the identity of the other had not yet been confirmed. In Afghanistan, a multi-ethnic country, Tajiks make up the second largest population, accounting for more than 25% of the total population.
In relation to this, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the information, that the results of wiretapping collected by the United States confirmed that the IS Afghanistan branch carried out serial bombings in Iran. “The information is clear and indisputable,” one source told Reuters.
The Ministry of Intelligence said, “After identifying the identities of the people who transported the terrorists into the country, the first arrest operation began on the evening of the 3rd.” “The terrorists’ lodgings were located in the outskirts of Kerman in the early hours of the 4th, and the two who provided lodgings to the terrorists were identified.” “People were arrested,” he said.
Intelligence officials then identified and arrested another nine people who supported the ‘terrorist team’ in six states, he added.
The intelligence department explained that it found two explosive vests, two remote controls, two detonators, thousands of pellets used in the explosive vests and other explosives at the terrorists’ residence.
Earlier, IS claimed responsibility for the Kerman Province bombing on the 4th, saying that two suicide terrorists carried out the attack.
The incident marked one of the deadliest attacks on Iran in decades. The explosion occurred near the Soleimani cemetery in Kerman province, where many Iranians had gathered to honor General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike on January 3, 2020.
Source: Donga
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