Governor of Semnan: Several ISIS Members Arrested in Semnan Province

The governor of Semnan stated without providing details or the number of detainees that several members of the Islamic State group, ISIS, have been arrested in this province, and a quantity of "explosives" has been discovered from them. According to the ISNA news agency, Mohammad Reza Khabaz on Saturday, October 3, also referred to the arrest of a number of what he called "the Takfiri backers" and the discovery of munitions from them in some provinces of the country, adding: "In Semnan, efforts had previously been made that, with vigilance and timely action, these efforts were nipped in the bud." The governor of Semnan did not mention the number of individuals arrested or the exact time of their arrest. Mr. Khabaz's remarks come as previous reports regarding the arrest of individuals affiliated with the Islamic State group, ISIS, were mostly related to Iran's border provinces. For instance, Iranian security officials reported on Tuesday, August 16, two clashes between intelligence, security, and law enforcement forces with teams "affiliated with ISIS" in Kermanshah province, stating that in these clashes, four individuals affiliated with the Islamic State, ISIS, were killed and six others were arrested. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, stated on Monday, August 2, that the Islamic State group, ISIS, had recruited some of its forces from Qasr-e Shirin and Naft Shahr, two of whom had entered Iran in March 2016 and were killed by Iranian armed forces. Meanwhile, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced on June 21 that several planned bombings by "Wahhabi Takfiri groups" in Tehran and several other provinces had been "neutralized," and a number of individuals were arrested in this regard. Following this, Iranian television aired a film stating that these individuals had been instructed by the Islamic State, ISIS, to carry out attacks in "50 locations in Tehran."