Arrest of Two Afghans in Varamin on Suspicion of Ties to Takfiri Groups

The prosecutor of Varamin has reported the arrest of two Afghan nationals who, according to him, were "suspected of connections to Takfiri terrorist groups." According to the IRIB news agency, Abolqasem Moradtalab stated on Saturday, June 6, that these two Afghans were "engaged in suspicious and various activities" in one of the villages of Varamin and were arrested after their actions were "monitored" by the Ministry of Intelligence forces. The prosecutor mentioned that the case of these two individuals is at the "investigation" stage, but did not provide further details. Iranian officials refer to groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as well as individuals ideologically close to Salafi groups, as "Takfiri groups." Iranian security officials have repeatedly reported on operations against "terrorist" groups affiliated with ISIS in Iran in recent years, but have not provided much detail about the operations conducted or the individuals arrested or killed. For instance, Ali Qasi, the head of the judiciary in Fars province, reported on Sunday, March 26, the issuance of an indictment for 14 foreign nationals and two Iranians who, according to him, were members of a "Takfiri terrorist group" and were arrested last year. This local official in Fars province also reported on November 2, 2016, the discovery of "Takfiri suicide operations" in the southern part of the province. According to statements from Iranian security officials, in February of last year, eight non-Iranian individuals who intended to "disrupt" the February 22 ceremonies and carry out "terrorist operations" in Tehran and several other cities were arrested. The Minister of Intelligence in December 2016 also stated that security forces had identified and killed "one of the leaders of ISIS" in "border areas" of Iran. Mahmoud Alavi referred to this "senior member of ISIS" as "Abu Aisha Kurdi" and mentioned that he was identified and killed along with several other suicide operatives at the border. In this context, Iranian security officials confirmed in late August 2016 that two clashes occurred between intelligence, security, and police forces in Kermanshah province with teams "affiliated with ISIS," announcing that four "ISIS affiliates" were killed and six others were arrested in these clashes. The Minister of Intelligence also announced on Friday, May 5, that his ministry's forces had struck "about 30 terrorist teams that intended to operate in crowded places." Mr. Alavi did not refer to the identities of these groups or the details of these operations. Hossein Zolfaqari, the deputy security minister, also stated on June 2 without providing details that during the election period, "any movements of terrorist groups were neutralized." Iranian security officials also use the term "terrorist groups" for armed opposition groups whose members are Iranian. In this context, an indictment was issued for 16 individuals in Iran on charges of membership in a "Takfiri terrorist group." Alavi: Eight non-Iranians intending terrorist operations have been arrested. The Attorney General: ISIS members intending to commit mischief on February 22 have been arrested. The Minister of Intelligence of Iran: One of the leaders of ISIS was killed at the border. Concerns expressed by two religious authorities in Qom about rising prices and the influence of "Takfiri" thoughts in Iran.