Arrest of 13 Individuals in Connection with the IRGC Bus Explosion

The head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan announced that 13 individuals, including two women, have been arrested in connection with the explosion of an IRGC bus, with one of the women having been released. According to Tasnim News Agency, Ebrahim Hamidi stated on Saturday, February 23, that some of these individuals are 'suspected' of being connected to the incident, while others have 'clear connections' to it. He also reported that one of the two women arrested in connection with this incident has been released, but did not mention the names of the woman or the other detainees. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel 'Baluch Activists Campaign' reported that Fariba Qalandarizadeh, who was arrested in connection with the explosion, was released on March 2. According to this report, Jassem Qalandarizadeh, 25, and Moslem Qalandarizadeh, 26, relatives of Ms. Qalandarizadeh, remain in custody. Previously, Abdollah Hajizadeh, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC, stated that a woman arrested in connection with the incident had been a 'good lead.' However, according to the 'Baluch Activists Campaign' Telegram channel, it seems that the 'lead' mentioned by Hajizadeh refers to a mobile phone belonging to this woman, which was associated with an individual that security officials have referred to as a 'suicide bomber.' This channel also cited a 'well-informed' source stating that Fariba Qalandarizadeh purchased this SIM card about ten years ago from 'her brother-in-law' and had no connection to the incident. The channel did not mention the identity of the individual referred to as the 'suicide bomber' in the IRGC bus explosion. Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, stated on Tuesday, February 19, that the 'suicide bomber' responsible for this attack was an individual named Hafiz Mohammad Ali from Pakistan, and 'another individual from Pakistan' was also present during the attack. The 'Baluch Activists Campaign' Telegram channel also named Amir Jahandideh and Habib Shamloo as two other detainees. According to this Telegram channel, another woman named 'the daughter of Noorollah Gomshadzehi' has also been arrested. Last Wednesday, following a 'suicide attack' on a bus carrying IRGC members on the Khash-Zahidan route, 27 IRGC members were killed, and 12 were injured. Iranian officials label the group 'Jaish al-Adl,' which claimed responsibility for this attack, as a 'terrorist' organization. However, this group states that its actions aim to defend the rights of Sunni people in Sistan and Baluchestan. The representative of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC announced that for every individual killed in the bus explosion, the Islamic Republic's military forces would kill ten individuals from armed opposition groups in Sistan and Baluchestan. In this context, Pakistan summoned the Iranian ambassador 'in protest against a border attack.' The Security Council condemned the 'terrorist attack' on the IRGC bus. The summoning of the Pakistani ambassador and the intensification of Iranian officials' criticism of that country are also noteworthy.