Primary Accused in Tehran Attacks Case: I Received $50 a Month from ISIS

The primary accused in the case of the attack on the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini in June 2017, who is accused of bringing three attackers into Iran, stated in an open court that after receiving theoretical and military training in Iraq, he was paid "$50 a month" by ISIS. The official news agency of the Iranian judiciary, Mizan, identified this accused as "S.M." and reported that in addition to him, seven other defendants whose charges were read the previous day were present in court with their defense lawyers. The second session of the trial of the eight defendants accused of the attack on the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini on June 17, 2017, was held publicly today, although it was announced that subsequent sessions would be closed to the public. After the first session, the Fars news agency reported that based on the opinion of Abolqasem Salavati, the head of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court and the judge of this court, the hearings for these individuals would be held behind closed doors starting Sunday. According to the judge, this case has 26 defendants, and it was announced in the first court session that the eight main defendants were arrested between June 17 and July 3, 2017. The Parliament building and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran were targeted in two simultaneous attacks on June 17, 2017, for which the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility shortly after. In this attack, 17 people were killed and over 50 were injured. Following this attack, security and judicial officials of the Islamic Republic announced the arrest of dozens of individuals suspected of links to ISIS in various regions of Iran. The prosecutor's representative also stated in the first court session that four members of this group had been in Iraq and entered Iran in February 2017. According to the prosecutor's representative, three of these individuals, along with two others, attacked the Parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini. The charges against these eight individuals include "membership in ISIS," "smuggling ammunition and military weapons," "forgery of documents and identification cards," and "possession and carrying of military weapons," and they have also been charged with "corruption on earth," which could lead to the death penalty. In the court session on Sunday, "S.M.," the primary accused in this case, stated that he had no criminal record and that his "sister's husband" had linked him to ISIS. He added that after three days of joining this group, he intended to return to Iran and "escape" from Syria, but he was taken "next to a dead body and told that anyone who separates from us will be destroyed along with their family." This accused mentioned that he had once illegally gone to Afghanistan for 25 days, where, according to Judge Salavati, he received "military training." "S.M." also added that after that, he went to Syria to bring back his sister's husband and received "20 days" of theoretical training and then military training and "one week" of training on how to use a Kalashnikov in Hawija, Iraq. According to the report by Mizan, citing this accused, after completing his training and becoming "armed," he received "$50 a month" from ISIS. However, this accused denied having pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. In the court session on Sunday, Judge Abolqasem Salavati claimed that this accused, known as "Abu Ansar," had been present in the "frontlines of Kirkuk," had "received three heavily armed terrorists" from ISIS, and brought them to Iran. While the accused cited the lack of a mobile phone as the reason for not contacting his family upon entering Iran, the judge rejected this claim, stating that the "organization" had not allowed him to make contact. In the statements of "S.M.," it was also mentioned that he was told he should only "kill military personnel" and that he wore an explosive belt only due to the "law" of ISIS. The primary accused also responded to the judge's question about why he did not inform on the "terrorist" team after they separated from him to carry out the operation, saying he thought they would return to "Iraq." After the attack on the Iranian Parliament building and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced the names of the attackers killed in these attacks as Ramin, Qayoom, Fereydoun, Abu Jihad, and Seryas without mentioning their last names. Iranian security sources also reported the arrest of an Iranian woman who allegedly played a role in "guiding" the perpetrators of the attack on the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini. However, there was no further mention of her name or status. In the report published by the Mizan news agency, the abbreviated names of some of the defendants in this case were announced as "S.M." the primary accused, "R.B." the second accused, "M.M." the fourth accused, "S.A." the fifth accused, and "A.B." the eighth accused. In response to the Tehran attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on June 28, 2017, that in retaliation for the Tehran attacks, it targeted one of the Islamic State's centers in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, with missiles. The number of missiles fired was reported to be six, and the IRGC considered this operation "successful," although the Haaretz newspaper cited Israeli military officials stating that only two of the fired missiles hit the intended targets.