Iran arrests ISIS members planning attack for next week Eid ceremonies
3 Min Read
A high-profile ISIS leader and eight others were detained after the terrorist organization claimed responsibility for two explosions that took place in January at a memorial marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of top commander Qassem Soleimani, leaving 100 people killed and dozens wounded.
-
A man chants slogans as he waves the Iranian flag in the annual rally to mark Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP)
A senior operative of ISIS and two other members were arrested by Iranian authorities on Saturday for planning a suicide attack during next week's celebrations, which mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
According to police, Mohammad Zaker, or "Ramesh", and the other two were arrested in Karaj, west of the capital Tehran after clashes occurred.
The terrorist organization claimed responsibility for two explosions that took place in January at a memorial marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of top commander Qassem Soleimani, leaving 100 people killed and dozens wounded.
As a result, 35 people were arrested, including a commander of Afghanistan-based ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), who was said to be linked to the twin bombings on January 3 in the southeastern city of Kerman.
Read next: West cannot breed ISIS in Iran, credit to Martyr Soleimani: Qalibaf
Just last week, Iranian media, citing Iranian security, reported the arrests of two takfiri terrorists in an infiltration attempt into a holy shrine in the city of Qom.
Iranian security forces belonging to the Ali Ibn Abi Talib Intelligence Corps reportedly successfully foiled an infiltration attempt into the shrine of Fatima Al-Maasoumah and captured the perpetrators, two ISIS-Khorasan members.
Previous attacks
The Iranian judiciary has issued criminal charges against the three principal terrorists engaged in the recent fatal terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Iran's southern city of Shiraz back in August last year that left one person was killed and eight people were injured
The statement emphasized that the terrorists utilized Telegram, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter as their primary social media platforms and that they had media connections with broadcasters such as Iran International and BBC Persian.
The Ministry explained that the terrorist groups' bases were located in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark and that ISIS operators were also stationed in Afghanistan, with particular gangs operating from Pakistan.
In October 2022, three gunmen, who were reported to have been extremist terrorists of non-Iranian nationality, entered the city of Shiraz by car and opened fire on the visitors and staff in the religious shrine. Similar to today's attack, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack a mere hours after it happened.
