Tehran terrorist attacks mastermind killed: intelligence minister

EghtesadOnline: Iran's intelligence minister Mahmoud Alavi announced the mastermind behind Wednesday's terrorist attacks in Tehran, which killed 17 people, had himself been killed on Saturday by security forces.

News ID: ۷۴۲۰۴۴

11 June 2017

"The mastermind and main commander of terrorist attacks on the parliament and Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini was killed by the security forces," Mahmoud Alavi said.

He noted that the terrorist had fled the country following the ensuing security operations after the attack, but was killed with the cooperation of friendly foreign intelligence services, ISNA reported.

At least 17 people were killed and 52 others injured in Tehran on Wednesday when gunmen mounted almost simultaneous assaults on Iran’s Parliament and the Mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini. The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

After offering condolences to the families of the attacks' victims, Alavi stressed that over the past few months the country’s intelligence forces had neutralized over 25 terrorist cells.

He added that a large number of terrorist operations thwarted by Iran had pushed the terrorists into engaging in the Wednesday attacks.

Alavi also noted that in a recent intelligence raid a large amount of automatic weapons and grenade launchers were obtained from a terrorist group.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Police Chief Hossein Ashtari has announced that a group of some 60 suspects has also been detained near Tehran in relation to the terrorist attacks.