Iran frees 1,200 people arrested during riots, arrests MKO terrorists

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1,200 people who had been arrested during the recent riots in the country since mid-September in connection with the young woman's death, Mahsa Amini, have been released, the Iranian authorities announced on Tuesday.

"1,200 people arrested during the recent unrest were released," the Iranian state television quoted the official spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Massoud Stayeshi, as saying during his weekly press conference.

Iranian security announced today arresting in the Markazi Province of a network of 12 agents having links abroad, noting that the network was planning to carry out subversive acts by procuring weapons with the aim of destabilizing the country.

Iran has recently been facing a surge of foreign agents commissioned to stir disruption in the country, as well as a rise in terrorists targeting civilians.

Iranian Security Minister Esmail Khatib said last November that it became clear in the recent events that the Israeli occupation was responsible for implementation, the UK media was responsible for sponsoring, and Saudi Arabia was responsible for financial support.

Khatib stressed that Iran will never support terrorist acts like Britain, promising that the latter will pay the price for its actions in destabilizing Iran's security.

Read: Iranians thwarting Zionist plots: Kermanshah Imam

MKO-linked terrorists arrested in Iran

Several “operational cells” affiliated with the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) have been dismantled across the country by the Intelligence Ministry of Iran's forces.

The Intelligence Ministry released a statement on Tuesday in which it said the MKO-linked operational cells of saboteurs have been smashed in Tehran, Isfahan, and Kurdistan provinces.

Ten elements of the cells have been arrested according to the statement, which added that they were involved in terrorist activities and several mortar attacks on the country’s administrative, military, police and residential centers. The statement noted that these elements also caused damage and fueled terror and insecurity.  

In a series of terrorist operations, the members of those cells had thrown improvised grenades into crowds, launched mortar attacks on the above-mentioned centers, and were planning to carry out several other brutal attacks, the statement added.

The terrorist activities were directly guided by the European base of the MKO terrorist group located in Albania, the Intelligence Ministry said, adding that the operations have involved even former MKO terrorist group members who had been granted amnesty or whose sentences were commuted by the Islamic Republic in the 1980s.

The weapons used by those arrested have been confiscated, including grenades, materials, and devices of improvised grenades, mortars, Molotov cocktails, and guns, the statement added.