Minister of Intelligence: Over 20 Terrorist Teams Identified in 2015

The Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic stated on Friday that in 2015, "more than 20 terrorist teams with plans for bomb explosions and anti-security actions" were identified by the Ministry of Intelligence, and many actions were prevented through arrests. Mahmoud Alavi, speaking before the Friday prayers on May 31 in Tehran, praised the performance of his ministry, stating that in the past year, "a group of elements" from the identified teams were killed, many were arrested, and "very large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and explosives" were seized from them. He noted that there is complete intelligence oversight over every movement of these groups. Alavi had previously reported several times on the identification and arrest of some "terrorist groups" in 2015, but had revealed little information about their nature and actions. For instance, earlier in May this year, in an interview with the Al-Mayadeen television network, he stated that the ISIS group had "attempted several times" to send "terrorist groups to Iran," and some of these groups were targeted during the 10th parliamentary elections. Alavi also reported the "discovery of a large explosives manufacturing workshop" at that time. In early March 2015, he announced the arrest of a "terrorist operative" at the southeastern borders of the country and a four-member team at the western borders who intended to carry out "terrorist" operations in Iran coinciding with the parliamentary elections. He did not mention any specific names or groups at that time. However, on Friday, he mentioned that the killing of the "leader and most members of the terrorist group Ansar al-Furqan" in the southeast of the country was another significant action by his ministry in the past year. In this regard, in May 2015, the Deputy of Internal Security of the Ministry of Intelligence announced that Hisham Azizi, known as Abu Hafs al-Balushi, the commander of the "Ansar al-Furqan" group, and two of his companions were killed in operations by Iranian security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan province. This security official described the Ansar al-Furqan group as a product of "Western-Arab terrorists." This group is said to have emerged from the union of two groups, "Ansar Iran" and "Furqan," according to some websites close to Iranian conservatives, including Mashregh News. "We have guided hundreds of youths at risk of recruitment" Alavi also reported on the "monitoring of the actions of Takfiri groups" and stated that in the past year, "hundreds of youths who were at risk of being recruited by terrorist movements were guided." In the rhetoric of Islamic Republic officials, some Sunni militant and extremist groups, including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Jabhat al-Nusra, are referred to as "Takfiri" groups. Recently, the Army Ground Forces announced the formation of "rapid reaction units" to counter them. The commander of the Army Ground Forces of the Islamic Republic stated in mid-March last year that the main goal of forming these units is "rapid response to any threats from enemies" and added that the army "monitors any regional threats up to a radius of 40 kilometers outside the borders." In this context, Alavi stated that a plot to explode in one of the country's population centers was neutralized, and he reported the arrest of a "terrorist" in western Iran. The commander of Iran's border guards stated that three terrorist groups were destroyed last year, and two ISIS members with explosive vests were killed at the Iranian border. Five terrorist groups linked to "electoral sabotage" were also dismantled.