Iran ‘foils 50 planned ISIS attacks’

Iran ‘foils 50 planned ISIS attacks’

By | 2016-07-20T00:34:20-04:00 July 20th, 2016|News|0 Comments
Iran claimed on Monday that a team of jihadists linked with Islamic State (ISIS) were paid 600,000 euros to carry out a bombing campaign at 50 locations in Tehran and other big cities in the country, Reuters reported.
 
Officials in predominantly Shiite Iran have said in recent weeks that Sunni jihadists from Islamic State are targeting the country, according to the report.
 
Two weeks ago, Iranian intelligence authorities said they had foiled a large-scale terrorist attack, arresting 10 suspected terrorists, and had seized about 100 kilograms of explosive material that was to be used in car bombs, and suicide and other bomb attacks in busy public places.
 
A 15-minute documentary which aired on Iranian television on Monday featured interviews with two arrested terrorists in which they explained the planned operations, according to Reuters.
 
Footage from a hidden camera which featured in the documentary showed members of the group allegedly purchasing and transporting chemicals and household products that could be used to make explosives.
 
Near the end of the documentary security agents armed with machine guns and wearing black balaclavas and body armor were shown raiding a house and handcuffing suspects, according to Reuters.
 
Members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have fought against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq as part of their support for the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
 
Guard members and volunteers are also fighting against Sunnis in Syria in support of President Bashar Al-Assad.
 
Iranian security forces announced in May that they had arrested a dozen ISIS fighters in the east and west of the country and also more than 50 sympathizers who were promoting the group’s ideology on the Internet.
 
In the meantime, Iran is well-known for its own backing of terrorism in other countries, mainly through its terrorist proxy Hezbollah.
 
A recent report by the U.S. State Department identified Iran as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism.
 
Iran rejected the report, calling it “false” and saying it is further evidence of the “lack of credibility of reports by the U.S. State Department.”