Iran's Ministry of Intelligence Reports Arrest of 22 Individuals Linked to Ahvaz Attack

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 22 individuals it labeled as 'culprits' of the attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz. The ministry stated that these individuals were detained in a 'safe house.' According to Iranian television, the Ministry of Intelligence announced on Monday evening, October 2, that it had identified the 'safe house of the perpetrators' of the attack and arrested 22 individuals. The statement mentioned that 'explosives, military equipment, and communication devices' were discovered in this house. On the morning of Monday, Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, had stated without providing details that 'a significant portion of the agents' involved in the attack on the Iranian armed forces parade in Ahvaz had been arrested. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence described the attackers and those arrested as 'affiliated with separatist Takfiri groups supported by reactionary Arab countries.' Officials of the Islamic Republic have pointed fingers at a group known as the 'Arab Liberation Movement of Ahvaz,' but a spokesperson for this group has claimed in various interviews that the 'National Resistance Group of Ahvaz' was involved in the attack. This group, which has not published any reports about its activities, has not issued any statements regarding this matter. Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS) has also claimed responsibility for the Ahvaz attack. At least 24 people were killed and over 60 were injured in the Ahvaz attack. The leader and other officials of the Islamic Republic have accused Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Israel of being involved in the attack on the Iranian armed forces parade in Ahvaz without providing evidence or documentation. The United States and the UAE have denied these allegations. The Islamic State group released a video on its 'Amaq' site claiming to show images and statements from three of the four attackers involved in the military parade attack in Ahvaz. Iranian officials had previously stated that four armed attackers were killed in response by the military present at the scene. However, the Ministry of Intelligence has stated that there were five attackers. According to Fars News Agency, the attackers 'arrived at the scene at 4:30 AM on Saturday, re-entered the scene at 8 AM to check their work, and ultimately began their attack at 9 AM.' The report indicated that the attackers 'were dressed in Basij uniforms and armed with Kalashnikov rifles with several extra magazines.' Fars added that three of these individuals were related, with 'two of them being brothers and the third being their cousin.' Basij News also identified these five individuals as 'Iyad Mansouri, Foad Mansouri, Ahmad Mansouri, Javad Sari, and Hassan Darvishi,' and published photos of their corpses. Simultaneously with the issuance of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence's statement, some social media users reported widespread arrests of Arab activists following this attack. Previously, some analysts had expressed concern about the Islamic Republic's exploitation of the Ahvaz attack to arrest Arab activists. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened on Sunday that it would 'spare no effort in pursuing and punishing the criminals in the geography of the region and beyond.' The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence also issued a similar threat in its statement, declaring that it would monitor and punish 'terrorist groups and their affiliated elements in any part of the region and the world.'