Arrest of Acid Attack Perpetrator on Three Women in Boukan

While the case of the serial acid attacks in Isfahan has not yet reached a conclusion, the Borna news agency and the state newspaper Iran reported that an "unknown group" sprayed acid on three women in Boukan city, West Azerbaijan province, during the "Nuclear Joy Night." Meanwhile, according to the state news agency IRNA, the commander of the police force in West Azerbaijan province announced on Wednesday evening, July 24, that the "perpetrator" of this acid attack was arrested "in less than 24 hours." Jamal Khosravi, the governor of Boukan, also told Borna news agency that this acid attack was aimed at "creating terror among the people present in a market on Kurdistan Boulevard in Boukan." According to Khosravi, three women reported three separate acid attacks to police 110 at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24, within a "few minutes". He noted that in these calls, a 28-year-old woman reported acid being sprayed on her "elbow," adding: "After feeling a burning sensation in her elbow, she looked back and saw a man hurriedly getting into a car." Khosravi also mentioned that a 51-year-old woman stated that her coat was "torn from the back down" due to "acid spraying," and a 31-year-old woman reported a similar incident. He also mentioned that they are reviewing footage from "security cameras at the scene." Hours after Khosravi's statements, Nasser Aslani, the commander of the police force in West Azerbaijan province, announced that the "perpetrator" of this acid attack had been arrested. He did not provide details about the arrest and stated that "investigations and interrogations" are ongoing. Meanwhile, the website Kurdpa identified Sousaneh Ismailnejad, a civil engineering student and a librarian at the "Mang" library, as one of the victims of these acid attacks. Ali Ismailnejad, Sousaneh's brother, also told the website that "the location where the acid attack occurred was a busy and crowded place, and ordinary people would not have the ability to carry out such an attack." In contrast, the website Dana, close to conservative groups in Iran, reported on the arrest of the suspect, stating that "the suspect, a 24-year-old man, lacked mental stability due to drug use at the time of committing the crime and acted without any motive." The occurrence of this serial acid attack in Boukan comes as the case of serial acid attacks in Isfahan has not reached a conclusion even after nine months, with conflicting reports about the arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators of these acid attacks. Hossein Alizadeh, a lawyer for three of the victims of these acid attacks, stated on Thursday, June 18, that while emphasizing the arrest of a suspect, two of his clients have seen and identified the suspect. However, Ahmad Khosravi Vafa, the head of the judiciary in Isfahan, announced on Tuesday, July 2, that the case is still under investigation and that it is currently not possible to "make a definitive statement in this regard." On the same day, Setar Khosravi, the head of the criminal investigation police in Isfahan province, emphasized that many suspects have been arrested in this regard, but none have "explicitly confessed to this crime, and the evidence does not indicate this."