Discovery of Dozens of Weapons in Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah Province

The public and revolutionary prosecutor of Kermanshah announced the discovery of 60 handguns in Sarpol-e Zahab, stating that the carriers of this shipment have fled to Iraq. Iranian news agencies, including ISNA, reported on Wednesday, August 2, citing the public relations office of the Attorney General's Office, that 'investigations to identify and arrest the suspects are underway.' Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi, the Kermanshah prosecutor, stated that 'the suspects fled after a chase, crossing the border into Iraq.' Mr. Sadeghi identified the Kermanshah border regiment as the force that discovered this shipment of firearms. Sarpol-e Zahab is one of the cities in Kermanshah province that shares a border with Iraq. Kermanshah has recently been in the news due to the presence of individuals involved in two terrorist attacks by the ISIS group in Tehran. In July of this year, the Kermanshah prosecutor reported the arrest of over 50 individuals 'related to and supporting terrorist groups' in the province following the attacks on June 7 in Tehran. This judicial official announced that significant amounts of explosive belts, electronic detonators, and weapons were discovered and seized from the detainees. On August 24 of this year, the Mehr news agency reported, citing a 'security source,' that Iranian intelligence forces discovered a safe house in one of the villages in Kermanshah province near the Iraqi border, which was linked to the perpetrators of recent armed attacks by ISIS in Tehran. This informed security source described the discovered safe house as a hideout for 'Takfiri terrorist' elements and stated that after seizing the documents and evidence found there, the house was destroyed by order of judicial authorities. Iranian security and judicial officials have reported the arrest of dozens of individuals affiliated with ISIS in various regions of Iran following the attacks on June 7 against the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. In June of this year, the Kermanshah police also reported the arrest of two individuals in connection with the deadly ISIS attacks. During this period, the police also announced the arrest of individuals linked to ISIS in Tehran and Karaj. In the recent attack by the Islamic State group on the mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic and the parliament building on Wednesday, June 7, at least 17 people were killed and 52 others were injured. More than 40 days after these attacks, efforts by security, intelligence, and judicial organizations in several cities in Iran to identify and arrest other individuals linked to ISIS continue.