Indictment Issued for Suspect in Killing of Three Law Enforcement Officers with Bus

The Tehran prosecutor announced the issuance of an indictment for the 'perpetrator' responsible for the deaths of three law enforcement officers on charges of 'premeditated murder,' an incident that occurred during a clash between security forces and dervishes. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, without naming the individual, stated that on February 19, the suspect 'committed a criminal act by using a bus to martyr three officers of the police force.' According to Mr. Dolatabadi, this individual, who was arrested by police officers, 'confessed to the murder of the officers after investigations.' The Tehran prosecutor also added that the victims' families have requested 'retribution' and that 'the accused will soon be tried in the Tehran Criminal Court.' A significant clash occurred on Monday night and early Tuesday morning between security forces and Gonabadi dervishes in Pasdaran Street, Tehran, near the home of Nour Ali Tabandeh, the leader of the Gonabadi dervishes, resulting in the deaths of three law enforcement officers and two Basij members, according to Islamic Republic officials. Although Dolatabadi did not mention the name of the individual, Hezbollah activists and conservative media have identified a dervish named 'Yavar Mohammad Thalath' as the driver of the bus that entered among police officers during the severe clashes. Meanwhile, dervish activists on social media claim he was arrested before noon on the day of the incident. Conservative media also published images of Mr. Thalath, who appeared to have been severely beaten, stating that he became 'nervous' and was sitting behind the bus because he was 'the bus driver.' He also noted that the interviewer's questions were unclear and added that he did not intend to 'kill.' Prior to Dolatabadi, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stated that 'the Tehran prosecutor's office has been instructed to complete the cases of the arrested individuals quickly and seriously and to present those who are guilty to the court.' Gholamhossein Esmaeili, the head of the Tehran judiciary, also stated that 'it has been communicated to the Tehran judiciary that the prosecutor's office and the court should deal seriously, decisively, and quickly with all those arrested for the riots.' He added that 'for those who have not committed a crime in these riots or whose crimes are minor, we will try to release them quickly, while we will deal quickly with those who have committed violent crimes.' Meanwhile, Farhad Noori, a manager of the Majzoban Noor website that publishes news related to Gonabadi dervishes, reported the transfer of 'at least 500' Gonabadi dervishes to the central Tehran prison. According to him, 'the families of the dervishes have had no results so far, and officials announced that these individuals would be transferred to the prosecutor's office on Saturday and will remain in temporary detention until then.' Following the arrests of the dervishes, numerous images of some of them, severely beaten with their heads and hands bandaged, have been published. The Majzoban Noor Twitter account also reported that Kasra Noori, Reza Entesari, and Behnoud Rostami, media activists among the dervishes and managers of this website, are also in a 'coma.' Another report indicated that Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, referring to the clashes on Golestaneh Street in Pasdaran, stated that 'the Islamic Republic will decisively deal with the instigators of these riots.' He added that 'the Islamic Republic will decisively deal with the instigators, planners, behind-the-scenes elements, and executing elements and will eradicate the roots of such seditions.' Although Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated that the government does not attribute the recent violence 'in any way' to the dervishes, he requested that the judiciary deal with those he called 'security disruptors.' Hassan Rouhani, the President, also stated that 'while respecting all beliefs and thoughts and accepting intellectual and cultural diversity, violent behaviors by any group' are condemned. Mr. Rouhani added that the government 'will not tolerate' violence and insults against the police 'in any way.' Hezbollah activists on social media have also called for a 'decisive response' to the dervishes, with one even stating that the bus driver should be executed with 'barbed wire.' Gonabadi dervishes have faced pressure in Iran for years, initially starting from the religious city of Qom. In recent years, some of their prayer houses have been destroyed, and there have been objections to gatherings of members of this group. The arrests of student dervishes and the searches of the homes of some dervish merchants in various cities in Iran have also been among the pressures on the followers of this group.