Iran's Minister of Intelligence Reports Arrest of Several Members of 'Terrorist Groups Linked to ISIS'

Iran's Minister of Intelligence announced the arrest of '5 to 6 individuals' affiliated with 'terrorist groups' in 'various cities' across Iran, who, according to him, intended to carry out actions during 'the Nights of Qadr and Quds Day.' Mahmoud Alavi stated on Tuesday, July 22, that the arrested individuals had been 'debriefed' and that 'a number of their agents, connections, and links have been identified,' who will be arrested 'with appropriate intelligence oversight.' He added, 'Following the recent notification (of the arrest of Takfiri Wahhabi terrorists in Tehran), 5 to 6 individuals associated with terrorist groups who planned to take action during the Nights of Qadr and Quds Day were identified and arrested one after the other in various cities across the country.' The Minister of Intelligence announced that during Ramadan, 'a group that had extensive plans for bombings and anti-security actions was dismantled.' According to Mr. Alavi, prior to this, 'many terrorist groups found motivation to strike or carry out terrorist actions during various occasions such as Muharram, Safar, Fatimiyyah, Nowruz, February 22, or Quds Day.' He added, 'Terrorist groups even tried to strike in normal conditions at crowded centers like metro stations, Friday prayers, and universities, all of which were identified and... neutralized.' The Iranian Minister of Intelligence stated that 'these groups are mainly affiliated with ISIS,' and other groups were 'very few.' On June 21, the Ministry of Intelligence announced in a statement that 'several bombings' planned by 'Takfiri Wahhabi groups' in Tehran and 'several other provinces' had been 'neutralized,' and several individuals had been arrested in this regard. Following this, Iranian television aired a film stating that these individuals had received 'orders' from the Islamic State (ISIS) to organize attacks in '50 locations in Tehran.' Iranian officials have repeatedly reported the arrest of 'terrorist' groups linked to the Islamic State in Iran without providing details. Earlier in May, the Minister of Intelligence stated in an interview with the 'Al-Mayadeen' television network that ISIS had 'attempted several times' to 'send terrorist groups to Iran,' and some of these groups were targeted during the 10th parliamentary elections. On May 21, Mr. Alavi also stated that in 2015, 'more than 20 terrorist teams with plans for bombings and anti-security actions' had been identified by the Ministry of Intelligence, and based on these arrests, 'many actions were prevented.' Meanwhile, Ahmadreza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, reported on April 12 that 'a group' of Islamic State forces had entered Iran last Esfand, and the Islamic Republic's forces had neutralized two of them who were equipped with 'explosive vests.'