Prison Sentences Issued for '6 ISIS Operatives'

Ali Al-Qasi Mehr, the head of the judiciary in Fars province, announced on Wednesday, June 21, that prison sentences have been issued for '6 ISIS operatives.' According to the state news agency IRNA, this judicial official stated that this group intended to carry out sabotage in Fars province during the month of Muharram last year. He did not specify the identities of these individuals but mentioned that two of them were sentenced to 15 years each, while the other four received 10-year sentences each. Al-Qasi Mehr also explained that since the actions of these individuals were 'suffocated in the bud and they could not carry out operational tasks, the judiciary did not recognize them as warring.' In the past year, it was announced that 11 individuals were arrested in the city of Laristan, Fars province, for attempting to carry out suicide operations during the days of Ashura and Tasua. Al-Qasi Mehr also commented on recently arrested individuals in Fars province, stating that investigations into these individuals, who were arrested in connection with the Islamic State (ISIS), are ongoing, but added that their affiliation with ISIS has not yet been proven. This Iranian judicial official noted that these individuals are under security custody on bail, and investigations are continuing. However, he did not mention the number or identities of this group or where they were arrested in Fars province. Al-Qasi Mehr also commented on the 'installation of an ISIS flag on one of the bridges in Fars province that recently occurred,' stating, 'The accused in this matter has been arrested, and his motivation for this act was to vent his grievances and take revenge on individuals with whom he had disputes.' Al-Qasi Mehr announced that 'this act is a crime even if there is no affiliation with ISIS,' and said, 'Investigations into this individual are also in the early stages, and his affiliation with ISIS has not yet been proven.' Previously, Nader Qazipour, a representative from Urmia in the parliament, reported on Tuesday, June 20, the identification and arrest of 40 members of the Islamic State group in West Azerbaijan province. He told the House of Parliament news agency that these individuals were arrested by the intelligence department of West Azerbaijan. He stated that the arrests took place in the cities of Piranshahr, Sardasht, Mahabad, Boukan, and Takab, adding that 'a large quantity of weapons and ammunition' was discovered and seized from the arrested individuals. According to this parliament representative, 'the team leaders of these terrorist elements intended to carry out operations during the nights of Qadr, which were timely suffocated in the bud.' On the other hand, the political-security deputy of Qom province also reported the arrest of a 'terrorist team' in the city of Qom. According to ISNA news agency, Ahmad Jamali did not provide details about the number of members of this team but stated that 'the city of Qom is one of the main targets of ISIS's terrorist planning.' These arrests occurred following two attacks by several members of the Islamic State on June 7 at the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which left 17 dead and 52 injured. In response to these attacks, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on June 18 that it had fired 6 missiles at ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor province, Syria.