Arrest of a Suspect in the 1981 Explosion at the Islamic Republic Party Office

The spokesperson for Iran's police claimed that one of the individuals involved in the explosion at the Islamic Republic Party office on July 7, 1981, has been arrested with the cooperation of Interpol. According to Tasnim News Agency, on Saturday, May 25, Saeed Montazeralmahdi stated, "Following the cooperation of Interpol and the investigations by Iranian police, one of the elements of the terrorist group Mojahedin-e Khalq, who was involved in the explosion at the Islamic Republic Party, was identified and arrested in Albania." Mr. Montazeralmahdi did not provide further details about this claim. Iranian officials refer to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization as the "hypocrites." Most members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq, who previously lived for about ten years in Camp Ashraf in northern Iraq, were transferred in recent years to a location near Baghdad called Camp Liberty. However, Martin Kobler, the UN special representative in Iraq, announced in July 2013 that 71 members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq had been transferred from Iraq to Albania, and that this country had agreed to grant them political asylum. At that time, he emphasized the importance of the swift transfer of residents of Camp Liberty to a third country, referring to an attack on the camp in the outskirts of Baghdad. Iranian officials identify a person named Mohammad Reza Kolahi as the "main agent" behind the explosion at the Islamic Republic Party building, which in July 1981 resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, including Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti, the then head of the Supreme Court. There have been conflicting reports about the fate of Mohammad Reza Kolahi. For instance, the state news agency IRNA reported in 2013, citing an "informed source," that Mohammad Reza Kolahi was seen in Germany along with Massoud Kashmiri. In Iran, Massoud Kashmiri is referred to as the "main agent" behind the explosion at the Prime Minister's office on August 30, 1981, which resulted in the deaths of Mohammad Ali Rajai and Mohammad Javad Bahonar, the then President and Prime Minister, as well as several other officials of the Islamic Republic. Both explosions have been attributed to the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization, but conflicting reports have emerged regarding the group's role in these incidents.