- 28 arrested in Iran for planning Daesh attack during protests anniversary.
- Protests were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, for a dress code violation.
- Plot to carry out 30 terrorist explosions in Tehran foiled.
The Iranian intelligence ministry announced on Sunday that 28 individuals with connections to the Daesh group have been detained for planning an attack on Tehran during the commemoration of last year’s protests.
These protests were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died in custody on September 16, 2022.
She had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s stringent dress code for women.
“In recent days, during a series of simultaneous operations in Tehran, Alborz, and West Azerbaijan provinces, several terrorist bases and team houses were attacked, and 28 members of the said terrorist network were arrested,” the ministry said on its website.
“These elements are affiliated to the professional crime group of Daesh and some of them have a history of accompanying takfiris in Syria or being active in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” it added.
In Iran, where the majority of the population follows Shiite Islam, the term “takfiri” typically denotes individuals who are associated with jihadist ideologies or advocates of extreme Sunni Islam.
During the arrest operations, the intelligence ministry reported that two security personnel sustained injuries, and various items such as explosives, firearms, suicide vests, and communication devices were confiscated.