Iran's Minister of Intelligence: Takfiris Identified 50 Explosive Targets

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, announced on Tuesday the arrest of "10 Wahhabi Takfiri terrorists" in Tehran and three border and central provinces of Iran, stating, "They had identified fifty explosive targets." According to ISNA news agency, Alavi, speaking with reporters, stated: "The series of operations to arrest the terrorists began on June 15, 2016, and the latest intelligence blows to this group were dealt on June 20, 2016, resulting in the arrest of 10 Wahhabi Takfiri terrorists in Tehran and three border and central provinces, and currently, interrogations of the terrorists and comprehensive intelligence and operational follow-ups are ongoing both inside and outside the country." Iranian officials refer to groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda as "Takfiri groups." On Monday, the Ministry of Intelligence announced that it had thwarted "one of the largest terrorist plots by Wahhabi Takfiri groups." Alavi also mentioned that the operations planned by the terrorists included bombings and remote explosions, suicide operations, and the explosion of vehicles carrying large amounts of explosives, targeting crowded public gathering places. He added that they had identified fifty explosive targets, with explosives for some targets prepared and others being procured and received. The Minister of Intelligence also stated that approximately one hundred kilograms of ready-to-explode materials and their precursor compounds have been discovered and seized. He added that through a series of complex and covert intelligence actions, the delivery of two tons of these materials to the terrorists was prevented. The Minister did not provide further details regarding the identified locations of these individuals. Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, reported on Sunday, without going into details, the "discovery and dismantling of a terrorist network" during Ramadan that, according to him, "intended to carry out suicide operations in Tehran." Alavi has previously reported several times, without detailing, the arrest of "terrorist" groups affiliated with ISIS in Iran. On Tuesday, April 20, he had mentioned, without details, the thwarting of the terrorists' plan for an explosion in one of the country's populous centers. On May 20, he also stated that in 2015, "more than 20 terrorist teams planning bomb explosions and security-threatening actions" had been identified by the Ministry of Intelligence, and many actions had been prevented based on these arrests.