35 arrested over Iran twin bombings

Tehran, Jan 12 (IANS) The Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced the arrest of 35 people from six provinces in the country in connection with the January 3 twin bombings in the southeastern city of Kerman that resulted in the death of more than 90 persons.

In an official statement on Thursday, the Ministry provided additional details about the terrorist attack which occurred near the tomb of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on January 3, which also resulted in some 280 injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.

The provinces where the arrests were made are Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khorasan Razavi, Isfahan, Tehran and West Azarbaijan.

The statement also mentioned the identification of some individuals involved in the attack who are currently based abroad, with ongoing efforts to apprehend them.

It said investigations were actively underway to identify others responsible for planning and ordering the terrorist attack, which marked one of the deadliest attacks on Iran in decades.

According to the Ministry's findings, a Tajik national, named Abdollah Tajiki, played a central role in designing the attack and providing support for the operation.

Tajiki, an expert in making homemade bombs, entered Iran illegally through the southeastern border on December 19, 2023, and left the country two days before the carnage.

The Ministry also identified one of the suicide bombers as Bazirov Israeli, a 24-year-old Tajik who joined the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group through the Telegram messaging platform after receiving training on terrorist operations in Afghanistan.

On the day of the incident, the terrorists initially attempted suicide operations at Soleimani's tomb.

However, due to stringent security measures and a strong presence of security forces, one detonated his explosive vest 700 meters away from the cemetery, while the other did so about a kilometer away from the burial ground.

A day after the bombings, the IS claimed responsibility, confirming two suicide attackers of carrying out the blasts.