TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced on Thursday the arrest of 35 individuals across six provinces in connection with the recent twin bombings in the southeastern city of Kerman.
In an official statement, the ministry provided additional details about the terrorist attack near the tomb of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, which resulted in over 90 deaths and around 280 injuries.
The provinces where arrests were made include Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khorasan Razavi, Isfahan, Tehran, and West Azarbaijan.
The statement also mentioned the identification of some individuals involved in the Kerman attack located abroad, with ongoing efforts to apprehend them.
It said investigations are 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 Dec. 19, 2023, and left the country two days before the incident.
The ministry also identified one of the suicide terrorists as Bazirov Israeli, a 24-year-old Tajik who joined the Islamic State (IS) 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 a kilometer away from the burial ground.
The IS terrorist group on Jan. 4 claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying two suicide attackers carried out the blasts. ■
